The Jinnah Antarctic Station

There are so many things we read about and even some like me write about.

What however never ceases to amaze me is how we often lament the fact that Pakistan isn’t as developed as we would like it to be and yet often we come across pieces of information about Pakistan and Pakistanis that we just don’t know!

 

Maybe we all need to step back and take a look at the news media of Pakistan and its negative and over sensationalized tactics that are doing immense harm to Pakistan not only on an international level but are also extremely demoralizing for the Pakistanis at home and aboard.

 

Just sharing a small little thing that most Pakistanis are unaware of…

We keep seeing in movies and documentaries how the more advanced countries in the world have base camps in the polar regions were they conduct all manners of research etc. what we never know or realize is that it’s close to 30 years now that Pakistan has been doing the same.

 

The Pakistan Antarctic Program  abbreviated as PAP represents the Government of Pakistan on the continent of Antarctica. The program coordinates scientific research and operational support in the region and is funded by the Pakistan Science Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Currently the project controls two polar stations in the region.

• The Jinnah Antarctic Station
• The Polar Research Cell

Both were established by the National Institute of Oceanography to co-ordinate all Antarctic related activities on behalf of Pakistan

The Antarctic Program was launched by the National Institute of Oceanography, with the full support of The Pakistan Navy in 1991.

On 15 June 1992, Pakistan became an Associate Member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

In January 1991, Pakistan dispatched its first expedition to  Antarctica under the National Institute of Oceanography

As the project was led by the Navy, the PN dispatched a small group of Pakistan Marines, along with the team of scientists on board the destroyer PNS Tariq and the research vessel PNS Behr Paima. Facilities were quickly established in the region.

This is how the Jinnah Antarctic Station was commissioned.

The station houses an unmanned automatic Weather Station, from which data are transmitted to Pakistan

In 2006, Pakistan established the National Institute of Oceanography’s Polar Research Cell!

Maybe it’s about time we focus less on what we don’t have or what could be and more on what we do have and therefore what we can be!

A number of national organizations are involved in Antarctic activities and are active participants in the Pakistan Antarctic Program and yet the majority of us have no idea about its existence.