Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, famously known as Fawad Chaudhry, is the only impeccable minister in prime minister Imran Khan’s cabinet who fervently runs his ministry. In the latest cabinet shake-up, he has given de novo the high-profile portfolio of information and broadcasting. He served the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), a ministry largely unknown and misunderstood, from April 19, 2019, to April 16, 2020.
Fawad, personally and professionally, is articulate, focused, and realistically positive. He always speaks in a dignified, rational and calm manner, keeping the ethics alive even with his worst opponents. No annoyance, no anger, no hyperbole, his response to opposition’s accusations and attacks on Khan’s government are decent and composed, mostly. Having the courage to call a spade a spade, he ocassionly point out the blemishes of his government with terse arguments not necessarily liked by his boss. His words turned into bona fide, tangible action. That’s what I, a regular Pakistani, expect from our ministers.
Fawad, having extremely limited resources, enlivened the dead ministry (MoST). He allures pure scientific minds for new inventions the country needs the most. His industrious and persistent work galloped the ministry advanced and innovative. He kept the public updated about the work of his ministry through his press conferences and tweets.
Fawad through his marvellous exertion and progressive approach invigorate scientific innovations and developed a five-year lunar calendar, containing all the dates of Islamic events in Pakistan, including Ramazan, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Adha and Muharram. Fawad’s efforts halted all issues and controversies kindred to religious events. He also launched Pakistan’s first official moon-sighting website, apart from an official app called ‘The Ruet’. Fawad put an end to the monopoly and annual controversy on Eid once for all, with the era of Ruet-i-Hilal Committee [the department which announces the sighting of the new moon] became irrelevant, drew to an end.
The work of Fawad was substantial in Pakistan’s continuous fight against the virulent virus. When coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was on a rampage and wreaking havoc in the country in an intensified form when a large influx of critical infections was rampantly mushrooming, census of hospitals was accelerating on daily basis, isolation wards, ICU beds, ventilators, and high dependency units were at full to bursting, casualties were on the meteoric rise, urban centres were in brink, utterly surreal news ubiquitous, abounding people were in mind-numbing agony, abounding families were in mourning, knowing loopholes in the healthcare system, knowing the country was impotent and incapable to manufacture any of the life-and-death necessity, knowing public sector health department is scarcely proficient of handling extravagant pressure, there seemed no flyspeck hope and consolation of survival, longevity and existence.
But graciously, the status quo remained well-off in contrast to bordering neighbours. Some of the Panglossian news that keeps surfacing in such rare, dark, and tough pandemic times, that redefined the world, that has brought the world to its knees, was only from the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology, with every glittering ounce of it was cherished and hoarded and fondled like a priceless diamond.
Pakistan initially faced an endemic paucity of dire needed hand sanitisers and ventilators at the beginning of the pandemic, but within two months, the country becomes self-sufficient in innovations and merchandise for its unified fight against the epidemic. Pakistan indigenously manufactured self products of the finest attribute which includes; domestic ventilators, personal protective gears, testing kits, surgical masks, N95, KN95, face shields, hand sanitisers and disinfectant products. The not only country produced in the middle of the raging pandemic, but imported excessively and became a massive importer of sophisticated medical merchandise and materials subsequently.
Bordering neighbours felt self-shame seeing Pakistan competent to produce its ventilators. “Pakistan was producing its ventilators to help people suffering from coronavirus. What are we doing in India? Shame on us. Make in India is just another slogan,” tweep Ram Subramanian, managing director of the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, wrote on the microblogging website.
He also focused on precision farming and introduce digital services and drone technology to revolutionise the field of agriculture and farming. The simple, fast, affordable and easy to use drone sensors enable farmers in monitoring crop health and growth, assisting in planning irrigation schedules, optimising the use of inputs, assessing yield data, and fighting the locust attack devouring food security.
These estimable triumphs, which was beyond one’s wildest dreams, foresee the possibility under the supervision of Fawad Chaudhry, who worked his fingers to the bone because he was perturbed about the people. Salute to such diligence. Salute to his splendid contributions to make this world a kinder, a better place.
Keep doing your bit for Pakistan and this society, Fawad
God bless you, Fawad.
