Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said India’s disinformation campaign against Pakistan was in full swing, which needed to be countered by acquiring ‘cyber strength’.

India had not learnt a lesson even after the EU Disinfo Lab had exposed its anti-Pakistan nefarious propaganda, however, Pakistan should ‘intellectually’ counter it by acquiring ‘cyber strength’, besides using other conventional modes of security, he said speaking here at the 10th convocation ceremony of Air University.

President Alvi highlighted the need for the world’s fifth most populous nation to gain knowledge in contemporary fields, particularly artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and data-driven technology.

He said though Pakistan had achieved professional prowess in traditional and conventional defence such as nuclear deterrence, gaining a strong foothold in cyberspace was also vital for its survival.

He pointed out that in the last year’s global cyber ranking, Pakistan was placed nowhere on the list. The situation, he said, demanded an overhaul in choices of career pathways, besides a major shift in the retrogressive mindset.

He said cyber knowledge was one of the best tools to equip the country’s big youth bulge with contemporary skills.

He mentioned that a huge quantum of data based on pattern recognition was available in the world that needed the skill of artificial intelligence to quantify and analyze it.

The president called for decision-making on imparting requisite knowledge to the youth about quantum computing and artificial intelligence as the world witnessed an unprecedented transformation in those fields.

He emphasized the importance of carrying out thorough research on job markets by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as it would produce a skilled human resource to match the demands of national and international organizations, thus aptly addressing unemployment in the country.

About the Air University’s maiden batch of Cyber Security discipline, Dr Alvi expressed confidence that the graduates would play a vital role in safeguarding Pakistan’s cyberspace.

The president commended the chairman of Board of Governors of Air University for his continuous support and patronage of the noble cause of education which had been provided with the support of the Pakistan Air Force.

He awarded degrees to the graduating students and appreciated their efforts in various disciplines.

About 1,300 bright graduates from the undergraduate, as well as MS and PhD programmes, received medals and degrees in various disciplines, including Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering, Business Administration, Accounting & Finance, Aviation Management, Literature & Linguistics, Mathematics, Physics, Strategic Studies, Computer Science and Cyber Security.

Earlier, Air University Vice Chancellor Air Marshal (Retd) Javaid Ahmed, in his welcome, address thanked President Alvi and HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed for gracing the occasion. He lauded the vision of the Air Chief for modernising and reinstating the tech arena through projects under the National Aerospace and Technology Park (NASTP).

He said the Air University would continue to impart quality education, research, innovation, and technology to the students and would make meaningful contributions to the national cause.