Eminent members of the Pakistani community roundly condemned the recent tragic killings at a Peshawar school, here on Monday night.

Pakistan’s Consul General Aftab A. Khokher acknowledged the moral support that the nation at this critical juncture had got from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ash-Sheikh, which he said underlines the solidarity between the two countries.

The visiting scientist of international repute, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand said the incident in its barbarity has surpassed the nuclear bombardment of Hiroshima and the 1947 massacre of the people that had taken place during India’s partition.

While calling it an inhuman and barbaric act, Engineers World Forum (EWF) President Dr. Aleem Khan said these wild animals snuffed 132 flowers (the kids) and hoped the incident would turn out to be a watershed in the history of Pakistan.

They were speaking at a function held by EWF in honor of Dr. Mubarakmand)), who later delivered a keynote speech on “Scientific Developments in Pakistan.”

Being a technocrat himself, Mubarakmand said the response to Taleban offensives is to make the nation technologically advanced. We should be a powerful nation in this world of technologies.

“The idea behind all such incidents is to keep Pakistan backward and to give a bad name to the country,” he said.

However, he said Pakistan is not isolated from other countries where such unfortunate incidents are taking place too. He gave the examples of recent killings in Australia, US schools and other Western countries.

Giving an update on the scientific development in Pakistan, Dr. Mubarakmand said the first electricity power plant will start functioning in three months from Thar coal gasification technology and which will cost the consumers a mere Rs.7 (7 cents) per unit.

He also outlined the country’s defense preparedness, which he said was evident at a recent defense exhibition (IDEA 2014) held in Karachi that displayed advanced model of F17 (Thunder) fighter, Shaheen, Hataf and cruise missiles, computer-operated tanks and other arsenals that he said attracted interest of many countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Afghanistan and others.

Consul General Khokher in his valedictory speech said his consulate is ever ready to serve “our nationals and will try its best to solve the issues facing them.”

While welcoming Mubarakmand, he paid tributes to the Pakistani scientific community in general and said, “Pakistan has huge potential to become a developed nation.”

Praising the expat community, the consul general said, “They are a successful story of Pakistan.”

Khokher assured all help to the EWF initiative in establishing a Saudi-Pak vocational training institute in the Kingdom, which will impart technical knowhow and share expertise.

In his welcome speech, Dr. Aleem Khan praised the contribution of Mubarakmand, whose efforts saw Pakistan becoming “the 7th nuclear country in the world and 4th top country in missile technology.”

Giving details of the vocational training institute in Saudi Arabia, Khan said the institute would start functioning next year.

Former Saudi diplomat, Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, mentioned about his previous visits to Bangladesh where he said Pakistani citizens are living in camps in deplorable conditions since 1971, and wished they would be repatriated soon in their country.

Earlier, Masroor Elahi Khan, who conducted the program, introduced the guest to the audience that had turned up in huge number. Mahmoud Akhtar also spoke on sponsors’ role in EWF. Prominent attendees included Faisal award recipient, Umar Chapra. Qari Mohammad Asif initiated the program with the recitation and translation of the few verses of Qur’an.