PESHAWAR The College of Veterinary Sciences (CVS) at the University of Agriculture Peshawar (UAP) hosted an awareness session on “Biosecurity and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)” in its Pathology Laboratories.
Experts from Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, and Health Security Partners (HSP), USA, participated in sessions covering a variety of topics relevant to Biosecurity and the BWC.
The event organizer, Dr. Farhan Anwar Khan, welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of Biosecurity and the BWC.
The event was attended by Vice-Chancellor University of Veterinary Sciences Swat and Principal College of Veterinary Sciences UAP, Prof. Dr. Umar Saddique, and Prof. Dr. Sarzamin Khan (Ex Dean FAH and VS). They appreciated the efforts to organize the session and discuss important issues related to Biosecurity and awareness about the Biological Weapons Convention.
The participants, including faculty members, undergraduate and postgraduate students, showed great interest and enthus
iasm throughout the sessions. The session was unique as bio-warfare is considered a potential threat to national and international security.
Dr. Hafsah Muhammad, Assistant Professor, PI, KMU, shared details of the program with participants. She discussed Biosecurity, its history, control, and selected agents of great concern related to bioweapons or bio warfare. She highlighted that the history of bio warfare initiated in Europe during 1155 by contaminating wells with infected dead bodies of unknown diseases. The use of biological weapons was also witnessed during World War-1 and World War-2.
She also highlighted the primary measures for the control of biosecurity along with challenges posed by biosecurity. She shared her knowledge about the dual-use dimension of biotechnology and explained the positive and negative use of biotechnology and the effects of modern technologies and research on humans and other aspects of the world.
Komal Hashmi, Resource Person KMU, highlighted the international frameworks ap
plicable to biosecurity. The Geneva Protocol of 1925, which affirms biosecurity governance, was also explained in detail.
Dr. Tayyab Ur Rehman, Dean Iqra National University, thoroughly explained the global perspective of BWC and Pakistan’s commitment to abide by the BWC. Pakistan signed the BWC on April 10, 1972, and ratified it on Feb 13, 1974. Since then, ‘Pakistan is trying to improve its Confidence Building Measure (CBM) ranking by reporting annually to the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) regularly,’ he said.
The program concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Dr. Farhan Anwar Khan. Certificates were distributed among the participants at the end.