Islamabad; May 19, 2024: The Daily Dawn published the following report (extracts):
QAU postpones festival named after Dr Abdul Salam
Islamabad: The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) administration has postponed the three-day Abdus Salam Festival 2024 that was scheduled to start on May 27 after a religious group expressed its resentment over it.
Dr Abdul Salam was a theoretical physicist and was the first Pakistani to win a Nobel Prize in 1979. The function was arranged to honour his services in the field of science.
Abdus Salam Science Festival 2024 was being organized by Quaid-I-Azam University Science Society in collaboration with the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and National Centre for Physics.
The festival aimed to promote science, education and scientific thoughts. Participants from universities from across the country were to participate in various scientific modules, science model/art exhibitions, panel discussions, study visits, astronomy night, musical concerts and competitions.
Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy, Ramal Raja, Mohammad Adnan and other intellectuals and researchers had been invited to the festival.
However, sources said that a religious group expressed its resentment with the university administration over the holding of the festival. There was also a lot of hue and cry on social media about it due to the scientist’s faith, following which the administration postponed the event.
A senior academician from the university said after a campaign was launched on social media, a delegation of religious groups met the QAU vice chancellor and managed to get the festival postponed. He said the vice chancellor informed all deans and organizers that the festival was being postponed, adding that, “in Pakistan, postponed means cancelled.” We may add to this report that Dr Abdus Salam was an Ahmadi. It is also learnt that the ‘religious group objecting to the festival was one of the Khatme Nabuwwat factions.
