Senior officials of COMSATS Secretariat gave a briefing to Mr. Ghulam M. Memon, Federal Secretary at Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Government of Pakistan. By virtue of his position at COMSATS’ Focal Ministry in host country – Pakistan, Mr. Memon is the Chairperson of Ministerial-level COMSATS Consultative Committee, and is also currently holding the office of Executive Director COMSATS on interim basis. The meeting took place at Ministry’s premises on 23rd June 2022.
From COMSATS, the meeting had the presence of Mr. Bilal Chohan, Director (A&E); Mr. Amanullah Khattak, Director (F&A); and Mr. Irfan Hayee, Deputy Director (Programmes). Other ministry officials attending the meeting included: Mr. Ata ur Rahman, Additional Secretary; Mr. Miran Mohyuddin, Joint Secretary (Organization); and Mr. Zain ul Abedin, Joint Scientific Advisor (International Liaison).
Having attended similar briefings on COMSATS in the past, the Additional Secretary from MoST introduced COMSATS as an international organization and highlighted its organizational structure and flagship projects. The prefatory remarks were followed by a detailed presentation by Mr. Hayee on COMSATS’ establishment, past and current undertakings, as well as future goals.
During the briefing, the participants learnt about the history, scope and undertakings of COMSATS. Mr. Hayee also delineated the functioning of statutory bodies of COMSATS highlighting their interconnectedness that gives them high-level leverage and a strong foundation for executing various scientific programmes aimed at national and regional development. He also noted that despite their diverse cultural, ethical and scientific prowess background, COMSATS Member States are connected through ideology of South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
The Ministry officials were also briefed about ongoing programmes and activities of COMSATS. It was informed that COMSATS plans to hold meetings of its Coordinating Council and Technical Advisory Committee in near future to help enable the Organization take strategic direction and coordinate its international programmes in an effective manner.
