INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS PAKISTAN
A BRIEF PROFILE

By Engr. Ch. Muhammad Rashid Khan, President

The institution of Engineers Pakistan came into existence on 20th June 1948 with the blessing of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Father of the Nation. In his message Quaid-e-Azam eulogized the establishment of the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan and expressed the hope that its establishment will greatly stimulate technical research and help in disseminating available information to enable the engineers to improve their technical knowledge. His message was adopted by the Institution as a guiding force for the working of Institution.

Since 1948, the Institution of Engineers has been striving hard for disseminating Engineering knowledge and to fulfill the aims and objects it has been by holding Conferences, Seminars, Colloquium, Workshop etc.

The following are some of the significant achievements and activities of the Institution
  

BUILDINGS

It will be appreciated that without Conference Halls, auditoriums etc. technical activities cannot be held freely. In 1948 the Headquarters of the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan (IEP) started functioning in rented buildings in different locations but later on, from it own resources and with contributions from its members, it had completed a huge complex in Dhaka, capital of the then East Pakistan where IEP Headquarters was established and it had all the modern facilities including Auditorium etc. After separation of East Pakistan in 1971, the IEP HQ was established at Lahore in a rented building and in 1966 a plot of land measuring about 8 kanal was purchased for it. Now with the passage of time IEP has constructed, huge buildings at Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, while buildings at Peshawar and Quetta, are under construction. Land has been purchased or is being purchased for the other Centers at Faisalabad, Multan & Sukkur.

The offices of the Local Centres are located in these buildings where most of the space has been rented out for generating funds to meet day-to-day affairs and to hold technical activities. The Institution has been able to develop its buildings from its over resources. I may mention here that the overall Book Value of all the Buildings of the Institution is above Rs. One billion.
  

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

The basic aim of the Institution as mentioned earlier, is to spread Engineering knowledge and to keep our engineering community abreast with new engineering and scientific techniques and research. The institution holds technical functions throughout the year on national and international level at Local Centres. In addition to this, a large number of Conferences, Seminars, Symposiums, Congresses, Colloquiums, Workshop etc. on important problems are being arranged by the Local Centres and they continue arranging technical lectures on different topics of all the disciplines viz., Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Marine, Metallurgical etc. As per statistics available with the institution for the last 50 years more than 10,000 technical lectures have been held which speak volumes of the Institution’s contribution towards the promotion and advancement of Engineering science etc. I may like to mention here that the Institution has particularly held big functions by getting papers contributed from national and international experts on very important national burning engineering topics like Water Logging and Salinity, Standard of Engineering Education, Transportation Problems, Space technology, Energy Option. Power Generation, Line Losses, Corrosion, Telecommunication, Environmental Pollution, Sustainable Development, Structural Engineering, bridge Engineering, Concrete Engineering, Kala Bagh Dam, Water Resources Development, Human Resources Development, Management Techniques, Quality Control and Management and Quality Assurance etc.

The Institution had also, of its own initiation or at the direction of the Government arranged technical functions Seminars/Conferences on important engineering issues so to help the Government for its policy decisions or creating awareness in the public to develop consensus of opinion on national problems. Through a large number of recommendations on burning problems were sent to the Government, yet particularly our reports on Water Logging and Salinity, Energy Option, Utilization of Pakistani Steel Products, Down Stream Industries, Improving the Quality of Works/Products, Water Resources Development Space technology, Kalabagh Dam, Environmental Issues and Strategies, Power Generation, Transportation Problems in big cities, Cement Industries in Pakistan etc. were highly appreciated by the President and Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and most of the recommendations have either been implemented or are under consideration of the Government.

The Institution took a bold step that in spite of its meager resources it started its contribution as a learned society on International and Regional levels. The Institution is a Member of the International and Regional Organizations namely, World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) which works under the auspices of the United Nations; International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) a multi National Federation of National Member Organizations, Consortium of Affiliates of International Programme (CAIP), consisting of Member Engineering Societies; Federation of Engineering Institutions of Islamic Countries (FEIIC) consisting of all the Institutions of OIC States; American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), comprising learned Societies of Science & Technology in USA; Commonwealth Engineering Council (CEC) comprising Common-Wealth countries and Federation of Engineering Institutions of South and Central Asia (FEISCA) comprising SAARC Countries. Our engineers take part in the meetings and work on their Divisions, Task Forces and different Committees established by each Organization.
  

AGREEMENT WITH
FOREIGN INSTITUTION / SOCIETIES FOR TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

The Institution has also entered into the agreements of collaboration with more than 40 Nos. Sister organizations so as to get maximum transfer of appropriate technology. With this end in view the Institution has concluded agreements of collaboration with Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Canada; Royal Aeronautical Society, UK; Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK; Institution of Civil Engineers, UK; Institution of Electrical Engineers UK; China Civil Engineering Society; China Mechanical Engineering Society; China Highways & Transportation Engineering Society; Chinese Society of Electrical Engineers; China Institution of Electronics; American Society for Civil Engineering USA; Institution of Electrical & Electronics Engineers USA; Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh; Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka; Nepal Engineers Association; Institution of Engineers Malaysia; Institution of Engineers Indonesia; Engineering Academy of Tajikistan; Engineering Academy of Uzbekistan; Engineering Academy of Kazakhstan; Institute of Seismology and Seismological Construction Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan; Republican Association of Young Engineers and Specialist ‘Ramis’ Kazakhstan;. Institution of Engineers Afghanistan; Council of Aeronautical Science USA; Engineering Academy of Kirgistan; Institution of Engineers, Australia; Institution of Engineers Republican Association of Young Engineers and Specialists ‘Ramis’ Kazakhstan etc. According to the usual terms of agreements, there is exchange of engineering personnel, engineering literature, technical proceedings, magazines, etc. from which our engineers and students are greatly benefited.
  

PARTICIPATION IN
TECHNICAL FUNCTIONS / EVENTS

Throughout this period of 50 years more than 100 engineers as delegates from the Institution of Engineers Pakistan, have contributed or participated in the International Engineering events and they have tremendously contributed in the different Committees, Divisions and Task Forces etc. established under these organizations. Though our delegate engineers benefited a lot by their participation personally yet at the same time they have brought good name to the country and were also able to project the views of our country on different engineering problems, Reciprocally a large number of engineers from abroad have participated in our functions and contributed papers and naturally our engineers have derived maximum benefit from their expertise so important for the development of Pakistan.
  

EXCHANGE OF STUDENTS / ENGINEERS
WITH FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS
TRAINING PROGRAMME

A large number of Engineering Students and fresh Graduates from Pakistan were sent abroad by the Institution through Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship Japan (AOTS), and Association for Exchange of Students for Technical experiment. Similarly students and engineers from abroad were given facilities to come to Pakistan for attachment with some prominent Consulting and Construction Engineering Firms so as to get knowledge of our engineering Organizations in Pakistan. A good number of foreign engineers worked in Pakistani firms. In this way the Institution has played its pivotal role for the purpose of imparting appropriate education to its members so important for the development and economy of Pakistan.
  

MIE (PAK) EXAMINATIONS

One of the objects of the Institution is the promotion of engineering education in Pakistan. By the grace of Allah, IEP has been working as Open Engineering University and is holding MIE (Pak) Examination, which is equivalent to B.Sc. Engineering for practice of Engineering and Service. UP-till-now the Institution has produced more than 2,000 engineers who are working on projects of national and international importance and, contributing to the overall development of the nation.
  

THE PAKISTAN ENGINEER

The Institution has been publishing its own monthly magazine “The Pakistan Engineer’ regularly wherein a large number of papers are contributed by eminent engineers on research work and on important engineering projects. The Institution has also established “The Pakistan Engineer Readers Club” for which the engineers have to pay Rs. 1200 only as life membership fee and a copy of the Journal, the Pakistan Engineers, is sent to each member. It is a thing of pride that so far, an amount of Rs. 13 lac has been collected within 2 years and it is hoped that with the passage of time this collection will be raised approximately to Rs. One crore and adequate amount, out of profit, would be available to meet the expenses for publication of the Journal. The most important aspect of the Journal is that through its Editorial the views of the Engineering Community and that of the Institution are projected vigorously so as to serve as guidelines for the Government and to create awareness among the public.
  

IEP MEMBERS HOUSING SOCIETIES

After thorough discussions the Institution, acceding to the wishes of Engineer Members, decided, to look-after the welfare of the engineers also in addition to its main objective of promotion of technical activities so as to provide cheap and best residential accommodation for them. Keeping in view the shortage of houses and exorbitant rent being charged by the landlord, the Institution decided to establish IEP Members Cooperative Housing Societies at different Centres. Presently such Societies have been established at Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and Peshawar, which are being developed. By the grace of Al-mighty Allah, IEP Town at Lahore comprising 7000 kanal has been fully developed which will be one of the most well-planed and well-constructed IEP Town in Lahore. Now the possession of the plots is being given to the members and actual construction of houses will commence at the earliest.
  

IEP FOUNDATION

For the overall welfare of the engineers, IEP Foundation has been established independently under the Societies Registration Act just like Fouji Foundation, Shaheen Foundation, Police Foundation, Wapda Foundation etc. and all the members of the Institution have been requested to become its life member by paying Rs. 1200/- Up till now an amount of about Rs. 16 lac has been collected and it is hoped that if all the engineers become members of the Foundation we shall be in a position to collect about Rs. 6 Crore and will thus be able to provide financial assistance to our members and at the same time may develop some other projects where a large number of engineers can be engaged.
  

IEP INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

IEP International Technical University under the auspices of IEP Foundation is being established for which feasibility report has been prepared. For this University the President Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the Chief Patron of this University. It will be established in IEP TOWN, Lahore where IEPM Cooperative Housing Society has already given a land of 200 kanals, which may increase to 400 kanals. The Feasibility Report has been, in principle, accepted by the Government of the Punjab and as per direction of the President and Governor of Punjab the Charter for the University is expected to be issued within a short period.
  

CULTURAL AND VARIETY SHOWS

While the Institution arranges technical activities for the benefit of its members, it also ensures that the unity and harmony amongst the members be maintained by holding social gatherings along with important functions particularly during Annual Conventions Cultural/Variety Shows, Mushairas and fairs for Ladies and Children are organized where engineers and their families get an opportunity to meet each other.
  

SEMINARS / CONFERENCES / INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES IN COLLABORATION WITH PRIVATE / PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IN PAKISTAN AND ABROAD

The Institution has planned to hold big Seminars/Symposiums in collaboration with different Engineering Organizations of the private or Public sectors so as to highlight their achievements and problems being faced by them for necessary interaction. A big seminar on Space Technology in collaboration with SUPARCO has already been held and now similar Seminars will be held in collaboration with Wapda and other organizations.

There are 17 disciplines of Engineering in the Institution. The Central Council has decided that on all these different disciplines, after regular intervals, an Engineering Congress will be held in that very discipline with new topic in every function. The 1st Electrical Engineering Congress has already been held on 14’h April, 1999. The 1st Civil Engineering Congress will be held in September 2000 by the IEP Local Centre Karachi. Metallurgical Engineering congress will be held in 2000. Similarly Engineering Conferences on burning issues will also be held at regular intervals. The 1st Transportation Conference was held at Lahore in 1997 and 2nd Transportation Conference was held at Karachi in 1998. Engineering Education Conference is also planned to be held later this year. The 1st International Mining Conference will be held by IEP Local Centre Quetta in October 2000.
  

EXHIBITIONS

The Institution had decided to hold exhibition regularly throughout the year most probably in October. So far, 2 number Exhibitions have been held at Lahore and 5 No. at Karachi. Through these exhibitions not only the public in particular get information about the materials and products under one roof but at the same time our industrialists and entrepreneur get a chance to display their products so important for the overall improvement of the economy of Pakistan.
  

IEP QUAID-E-AZAM FORUM

As already mentioned above, the Institution came into existence in 1948 with the blessings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. His inaugural message remains the beacon light for the Institution. In order to commemorate association of the Institution with the great leader of the country, the Institution has established a platform called IEP Quaid-e-Azam Forum. It has held the First IEP Quaid-e-Azam Conference on 6″ July 1996, at Lahore which was inaugurated by Mr. Wasim Sajjad, the then Chairman Senate. A book comprising the papers read in the Conference by renowned Politicians, Scholars, Researchers etc., has been published. The Second Conference was held in Karachi in 1997. The third Conference will recently held in Karachi on 1st July 2000, and the forth Conference will be held on 20th June 2001 at Lahore.
  

IEP GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION SERIES

During the 40th Convention, which is being held now in July 2000, a good number of technical papers will be contributed on different engineering problems and issues and later on based on these papers, recommendations will be prepared and sent to the Government. The most important event of this Convention is 1st International Water Conference which will be inaugurated on 181h July, 2000 by Prof. Dr. Atta-Ur- Rahman, Federal Minister for Science & Technology. At the end of this Water Conference, lnshallah recommendations will be prepared by the experts of the Institution and sent to the Government of Pakistan for consideration.

I have spelled out some of the significant achievements and it is hoped that with the passage of time the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan will endeavour to serve the Engineering Community in particularly and the Pakistan in general with dedication and perseverance so as to rank it high in the comity of the Institutions of the World.