Sohail Wajahat advises engineers to work hard to achieve excellence

Karachi Observer Report

The Chairman of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Engr Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui, hascalled upon the engineers of the future to pledge to strive relentlesslytowards achieving engineering excellence.

“You should have complete knowledge of your respective engineering fields andfind out their own specialized core”, he told them while delivering a lectureon “Engineering Excellence” at Sir Syed University of Engineering andTechnology (SSUET), Karachi.

The lecture was organized by the SSUET in collaboration with ManagementConsultancy and Training Services (MCTS), headed by former IG Sindh and anex-DG NIPA, Niaz Ahmed Siddiqi.

Engr Sohail Wajahat suggested that all the career counselors at schools andcolleges should help the students in letting them choose their field orotherwise they will not be able to achieve excellence.

In his 90-minute talk, Engr Sohail Wajahat, who recently quit Siemens Pakistanto head Pakistan State Oil as its chairman, was candid in telling thegraduating engineers to try to understand the meaning of “excellence” andstrive hard to achieve it for a bright future.

He pointed out that engineering is something in which people find differentsolutions and the upcoming graduates should come out as “valued engineers” withthree basic values which, if carried by them in life, they would end up asexcellent engineers.

An excellent engineer should firstly be excellent human being with excellenceand innovation being other values, he exhorted.

In order how to achieve excellence, the PSO Chairman narrated his own exampleand said that his parents firmly implanted in his mind that he should always befirst class first with respect to parents being the foremost principle and hetruly came up to their expectations.

He told the engineering students that in order to achieve excellence they willhave to keep clear targets before them and they will have launch successfulideas or otherwise people would not listen to them.

Replying a question, Engr Sohail Wajahat said that PSO has no responsibility inthe ongoing power crisis as it is only a fuel supplier. He said the problem iswith generation and distribution and this cannot be achieved without makinginvestments.

He said a permanent solution to power crisis lies in continuous operation ofplants as well as regular payment of bills by the consumers.

To another question, Chairman PSO said that every institution must have aResearch and Development (R&D) budget to help the faculty and students incarrying out their research activities.

He did not agree with a questioner that utility organizations like powersuppliers subject the common consumers to harassment. On the contrary thedishonest people do not pay taxes and steal electricity and make complaints, hestated.

“We live beyond our means and do not limit ourselves to our budget”, has saidadding that this kind of behavior gives rise to corruption.

He was of the view that our engineers having passed out in 80s or 90s do notupdate themselves although they are engaged in the profession of teaching theyounger generation. This is not excellence and they should update themselveswith latest knowledge to being excellence in engineering.

To another question Engr Sohail Wajahat said that people always blame othersinstead of being responsible to their own profession to achieve excellence.Engineers should create engineering innovations and keep themselves updated formeeting the future challenges, he added.

He called for continuous training of faculty and described the same as highlyimperative. He said to solve the problems they should find solutions and if notthen they cannot become excellent engineers.

On the occasion Engr Sohail Wajahat offered internship for 10-12 students ofSSUET and called for providing the names of such internees along with detailsof their projects.

At the end of the talk, the chief guest signed the pledge made by upcomingothers along with other participants.