President Dr Arif Alvi has said that cyber security would occupy a central place in the defence of national borders and national interests, adding that there was a need to invest in developing quality human resources, bringing 25 million out of school children to schools, reforming schools and Madrassas, focusing on the adoption of innovation and development and ensuring the continuation of the policies to put the country on the path of development. The President expressed these views while talking to the participants of the Senior Officers' Leadership Course (SOLC-9), at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. Talking to the officers, the President highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing, adding that it should be adopted at all levels and at all forums and should be persistently promoted until it was fully embraced by our education, research, and other relevant institutions in the government and private sectors. He further said that it would help provide a much-needed impetus and would speed up our efforts to turn our country into a fast-developing country. The President said that innovations in the field of Computer Sciences and other disciplines of Science and Technology were happening at a rapid pace, adding that quantum computers were thousands of times more powerful than supercomputers and would help further speed-up research and development. He said that the right decisions made at the right time, quality input, intellect and knowledge of our scientists, quality human resources and persistent efforts would help lay sound foundations for the development and prosperity of the country. While highlighting the importance of Cyber security, the President said that in the near future all the defences and deterrents of any country would have Cyber Security at its central place as it would be required to safeguard and protect national data, ensure uninterrupted provisions of services, safeguard critical national infrastructure and to shield the country and its people from the threats of cyber warfare. This, he said, would need intellectual and human capital, knowledge, innovation and determination as against the intensive capital needed for creating defence-related products in brick-and-mortar form. The President said that the data generated by humans all around the world was enormous compared to our ability to analyse, interpret and make use of this data. He added that processing the huge volume of data was only possible by the use of quantum computers and artificial intelligence in our system on a top priority basis. He said that a high-level body may be formed to provide the leadership for taking up the higher level of research in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing so that a definite direction was provided to the relevant institutions and departments for moving forward. The President said that the entire world was in dire need of graduates in the IT sector and those nations who had succeeded in providing IT graduates speedily, both in terms of quality and quantity, were making progress in this highly competitive environment. He said that Pakistan should take all possible steps to increase the quality and quantity of its IT experts to provide much-needed human resources to the country and internationally to increase our IT-based exports, which could provide much-needed relief to our foreign exchange reserves. While replying to a question, the President said that there should need 60 to 70 per cent uniform curriculum while there should be flexibility in the remaining portion of curricula in our education system to cater for the specific needs of the students. While replying to another question, the President said that any society derived its strength from its religious teachings and values, the constitution of the country and the laws and regulations. He said that all the pillars of the state, the parliament, judiciary, and government should endeavour and ensure the right and accurate application of the law in all situations and on all persons at all times equally and fairly. He said that when the laws are not applied justly and objectively according to their true spirit, intent and purpose, it created distrust and polarization in society which needed to be avoided.
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