Pakistan Animal Science Council (PASC):
The Need of the Hour
by
Muhammad Younas, Qamar ud Usman and Shahid Rasool
Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, FAH, UAF
myounas07@gmail.com
After the first National Animal Husbandry Conference under Pakistan Animal Husbandry Association (PAHA) held at Services International Hotel, the Mall, Lahore on March 5, 1992, it was decided that a directory of B.Sc.(Hons.) Animal Husbandry graduates be compiled. Dr Mashooaq Ali Bhutto (Livestock Advisor) was the Chief Guest at this occasion. It was thought that this database will be useful for future communications and will be an asset for the Faculty. The work started on this line and updation of this record continued (1992-1994) at Faculty of Animal Husbandry.
The copy of this directory was distributed at the 2nd National Animal Husbandry Conference held at the eve of graduation of 16th batch of AH graduates at Faculty of Animal Husbandry, UAF on May 4-5, 1994. Just to mention and keep the record straight, Prof Dr Syed Basit Ali, the Vice Chancellor, NWFP Agric University, Peshawar and Prof Dr Bashir Ahmad Shaikh, Chairman PSF, were some of the eminent guests at this Conference.
On the collection of this data, the idea of making an Animal Husbandry Council came on the surface. The same effort was also being done by our veterinarian friends. Collection of data and getting feedback from the graduates and field officers is sometime very pain-taking and a cumbersome exercise. The number of the graduates also has to match up to certain extent to get any council registered.
Many developments took place but just to mention a few. During this process, Dr Muhammad Yaqoob Bhatti (late) and some other senior experts recommended that instead of having two councils, we should have one council. The name of this council can be as Pakistan Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Council, so that both faculties can bent on this and it can serve the purpose of both Veterinarians and Animal Husbandry graduates. The example of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) was cited and quoted to support this idea of a combined council. But unfortunately this idea didn’t get any recognition at other side of the fence because the differences and misgivings had created walls and wide gaps between the two sides and bifurcation had gone a long way. There seemed nothing big except the ego of some individuals (unfortunately as it prevails in all matters, all places and in all cases of the country). Veterinarian friends were not even ready to listen this suggestion and not ready to pay any heed to this proposal.
As I mentioned in one of my earlier articles (Hallucination of B.Sc.(Hons.) AH Degree Program, N&V June 8-15, 2019, pp:10) some senior colleagues of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry like Prof Dr Abrar Hussain Gilani, Prof Dr Muhammad Aftab Khan and Dr Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry agreed to give their collected database to Veterinary colleagues on the assurance that their interest will be taken care of. This gesture was to complete their numbers to get the PVMC registered on the plea that their benefits will also be taken care of by this council as the degree of B.Sc.(Hons.) Animal Husbandry was a recognized qualification as per First Schedule under Section 9 of the PVMC Act. Later on the Veterinary Council (PVMC) was approved under the PVMC Act of Parliament 1996, with its define mandate as “To regulate the registration, practice and conduct of the veterinarian to establish uniform standards of basic and higher qualification in veterinary medicine and surgery.”
Later on, it was learnt… that PVMC has some hidden intensions & mottos to abolish the B.Sc.(Hons.) Animal Husbandry degree and they started working on this line…
The Options Faced:
- Either we beg to PVMC to restore our degree (at our Faculty)…
- We ask them to include production degrees viz; (i) BS Animal Sciences, (ii) BS Dairy Science and (iii) BS Poultry Science…
- Go back to square one: We make our own Council… This can be named as Pakistan Animal Husbandry Council (PAHC)…
Why We Need the Pakistan Animal Science Council (PASC)
- The science of Animal Production (Animal Husbandry, Animal Science) is expanding day by day…
- Production degrees in the country need a Council which can regulate their education…
- Their syllabi need to be monitored and brought to harmony…
- Many diplomas of animal (Livestock/Poultry) production have been launched…
- As Regulatory Authority, the Council will look after, devise, maintain and regulate the standards…
- Council may also look after the academic institutions and their teaching of curricula…
- Council will liaise with other councils/bodies (PMDC, PEC, PVMC & PBC)…
- Council may recommend the Government on the issues of Livestock Production…
- Council may conduct seminars, workshops, conferences…
At that time, very respectfully, it was urged from the Dean, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, UAF and Dean, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, AUP Peshawar KP to come forward…
This was the date of Sep 17, 2019… PASA is trying to make Pakistan Animal Science Council (PASC) in the country…
(to be Contd…)