Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution to change the name of Quaid-i-Azam University’s National Center of Physics from Abdus Salam Centre to Al-Khazini Department which started a social media war especially on Twitter.
Abdus Salam is a Noble Prize Winner physicist who left Pakistan after the National Assembly declared Qadiyanis as a non-Muslim minority in 1974.
#DrAbdusSalam Has done great for Pakistan, his faith whatever it was should not be the reason to strip him off the honors that govts had given him in the past. Latest move from PMLN to remove his name from physics center is beyond shameful.
— Wadana Farooq (@WadanaFarooq) May 4, 2018
Renowned journalist Mubashir Zaidi criticized the resolution and said that those MNA’s who supported this resolution should be ashamed.
SHAME ON YOU ALL…….Six MNAs from @pmln_org Four from @PTIofficial Three from @MQM Two from @PPP_Org and two from JUI supported Captain Safdar resolution to change the name of #DrAbdusSalam Center for Physics
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) May 3, 2018
Asma Shirazi said that Capt. Safdar and PMLN members passed this resolution to gain votes from a certain segment in the upcoming elections of 2018.
???????? ????????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ‘?????’ ????? ??? ????? ?? ?? #DrAbdusSalam #QAU
— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) May 3, 2018
Many claimed that science is separate from religion, they claimed that honouring him on his research and scientific theory is not endorsing his religious belief.
What a scientist do in lab bench has nothing to do with his faith & relationship with God.#DrAbdusSalam
— Bilawal Aziz (@bilawaltweets) May 4, 2018
Others believed that when there are so many Muslims scientists who we can honour by naming the department after them then why was Abdus Salam was chosen?
There are so many gigantic Muslim scholars in history. Why #DrAbdusSalam is special???? Al-bairooni, Al-zohravi, Al-haitham… there are so many Muslim physicists. Physics Center of QAU should be named after Al-bairooni Center of physics.
— Muhammad Tahir Amin (@ameen_tahir) May 4, 2018
On twitter some users claimed that this is why we are unable to contribute in the field of science while others questioned how can we link scientific research & education with changing name of a department?
????? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ?????. ??? ????? ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ????????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ???
#DrAbdusSalam— jamilbehram (@jamilbehram) May 4, 2018
People also asked what was the contribution of Abdus Salam for Pakistan that we are honoring him?
The department was named after Abdus Salam in December 2016 after approval from ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.