Advocating for Science Advocacy in Pakistan

By Mohsina Asif


“The creation of Physics is the shared heritage of all mankind. East and West, North and South have equally participated in it.”

These were the words of Abdus Salam as he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 (a first for Pakistan). Salam’s speech was about more than just physics: he used his voice and recognition to advocate for a vision where technology and science—in its unadulterated impactful form—is not confined by geography, backgrounds, privilege, or politics but allowed to transcend these boundaries and become a tool to empower and benefit masses. Was it a goal far too ambitious? Was it easier said than done? Maybe, maybe not.

However, Abdus Salam, as an individual scientist, made considerable strides towards manifesting his ideals. In the 1960s, Salam (as the Science Advisor of Pakistan) established the first space program of the country that later developed into Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO); in the 1970s, he initiated physics and nuclear research at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), creating the possibilities of nuclear weaponries and power generation for the country; he promoted synergies between local research in Pakistan and eminent international organizations such as CERN and NASA; and established various prominent research institutions across Pakistan. Perhaps, one of his most significant contributions is the establishment of International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy—a nucleus of theoretical physics education particularly founded to provide equal learning opportunities to aspiring students from the developing world.

The purpose of succinctly mentioning these (few of the many) contributions of Salam is to emphasize the impactful role he played even outside the fringes of his publications, calculations, and academic teachings. Undoubtedly, Salam was an accomplished scientist who had a brilliant mind, exposure of some of the best institutions, and the charge of an important government position. But what truly set him apart was his drive towards change making. Salam was a physicist, but he was equally an advocate and diplomat of science, who understood and rallied to unravel the complex nexus of culture, science, and privilege. He emulated the essence of some of the most prominent science advocacy fields, long before the terms of these areas had even become common.

We can campaign partially—if not wholly—as Salam did, with instruments that currently lie in an immersive yet unexplored field. This is often called science advocacy: a field that remains largely untrodden in Pakistan due to a national wide-spread obsession to pursue hard sciences. Even in hard sciences, most of the pursuit is restricted to medicine and engineering. In 2019 alone, as reported in The Nation, approximately 150,000 intermediate students appeared in MCAT, i.e., the government medical college entry test. In 2021, as reported in Dawn News, more than 33,000 students appeared in ECAT, i.e., the admission test for UET, Lahore, the most prominent public engineering university in Punjab. A part of this linearity can be traced to the customary wants of parents of seeing their children have a career that is stable and a source of privilege and pride for the family. While these notions are largely debatable on a subjective scale, they have existed for a long time and have been deeply inculcated in the mindsets of young students. This obsession now also forms the mission statement of many ‘schools, colleges, and academies’ in Pakistan. Apart from this fixation, a lack of direction and information available to confused intermediate students contributes greatly to this skewness.

Alongside a pressing need to encourage insightful dives into the physical and applied research fields of science, there exists an urgency to address the vacuum of science advocacy resources and opportunities in Pakistan. Science diplomacy, policymaking, regulations, communication, outreach, journalism, and think tanks are all disciplines that merge rigorous scientific research with more tangible societal relationships. These areas define how research and technology reaches and is perceived by the public. Despite their significance, these areas remain largely absent from the pool of prospect career trajectories in Pakistan. Currently, no university in Pakistan offers a master’s degree program in science communication, science journalism, science policymaking, or science advocacy. 

Pakistan is one of the countries where interventions such as population control measures (Family Planning and Contraception in Islamic Countries: A Critical Review of the Literature) and mass vaccination programs (Vaccination‐hesitancy and vaccination‐inequality as challenges in Pakistan’s COVID‐19 response) are met with a fierce resistance backed by religious and cultural propaganda. Thus, in a larger context, it is only effective and accurate communication of these aspects that can disperse reluctance and misinformation among citizens. Comprehensive datasets and surveys also need to be accumulated and researched to identify the exact clefts that need to be bridged. This analysis should then be followed by a careful decryption of the concerns and sentiments of the involved stakeholders: the laypersons, decision makers, educators, and industrialists. 

Salam’s work in reforming the science advancement landscape of Pakistan may be easily regarded as achievements of an incredibly multifaceted and assertive scientist. However, I believe we can still attempt to imitate the impacts of Salam’s work by working in the ambit of science advocacy. This is an extensive arena with implications that can be far more amplified, broad, and long-lasting, particularly in a country like Pakistan. Therefore, it is only imperative now that local universities, faculty members, and education policymakers start working towards designing more courses, fellowships, and programs that encourage such science-societal fields of study and practice.


Mohsina Asif is a mechanical engineer from Lahore, Pakistan. Besides her role as an Application Engineer at LUMS, she is also the Science Communicator at Khwarizmi Science Society, and is interested in policymaking, science journalism, and outreach.

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