RIYADH — The Institution of Engineers Pakistan-Saudi Arabian Center (IEP-SAC) organized its annual technical seminar at King Salman Social Center in Riyadh recently. The topic was “Cyber security — challenges, prospects and opportunities”. Dr. Muhammad Khurram Khan, founding member of the Center of Excellence in information Assurance (CoEIA) at King Saud University, Riyadh, made the keynote address. Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor-ul-Haque, patron in chief of IEP-SAC, was the chief guest. The local engineering and technology firms displayed their products and services in the exhibition hall of the facility. This was a major attraction for the guests who spent time gathering valuable information from the booths. The event started with the recitation of Holy Qur'an by Mohammad Asim Siddiqui. General Secretary of IEP-SAC Syed Muhammad Iqbal Ahmed welcomed the guests and subsequently presented the annual report of IEP-SAC activities for the year 2014-2015. The most important activity of IEP-SAC was its scholarship program for the needy but brilliant students of public engineering universities of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. This year 88 scholarships for full academic year have been awarded. Giving a brief introduction of the keynote speaker, Sheikh Asrar Ahmed outlined Khurram Khan's major achievements, which include several awards and over 200 research papers published in journals or presented in seminars. Most recently he achieved King Saud University Award for Scientific Excellence (Research Productivity Prize). While giving his presentation, Khan said with the advent of cyberspace, the use of computational and communications devices is growing exponentially. Governments, financial institutions and most public and private sector agencies are highly reliant on cyberspace and as a result the economic growth and stability of a country are extremely dependent on the secure and continuous availability of ICT infrastructure. Threats and attacks from cyber adversaries are continuously growing with greater magnitude and sophistication, which has become one of the most serious economic and national security challenges, he said. “Governments and organizations worldwide now openly acknowledge that cyber attacks are one of the most prevailing and high impact risks they encounter. Therefore, there is a dire need to secure cyberspace to ensure the growth of a nation's economy and protect its sovereignty,” Khan added. Ambassador Haque expressed his utmost delight on the ongoing scientific cooperation between the brotherly countries of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He commended IEP-SAC for bringing Pakistani professionals closer and also for acting as a bridge between them and Saudi Council for Engineers. Chairman of IEP-SAC Syed Mubashir Hussain Kirmani thanked Dr. Khan for his valuable and scholarly presentation on a very vital issue related to cyber security. He outlined IEP-SAC's objectives, which include efforts to promote the engineering profession, facilitate sharing of knowledge and foster intellectual capital. Kirmani referred to the recent meeting of IEP-SAC executives with Abid Sher Ali, Pakistan's minister of water and power, where they discussed the grave situation arising from shortages of electricity and water. The IEP-SAC chairman stressed the need for making water conservation and rainwater harvesting part of national policy initiatives. He called for necessary legislation and programs to raise public awareness in this regard. Kirmani thanked the engineers, sponsors, advertisers and media personnel for their support. He invited all Pakistani engineers to come forward and join IEP-SAC to promote its cause and objectives. The event concluded with a befitting dinner. — SG
