By Shabbir Hussain Ludharh
The past ten days have been a whirlwind of geopolitical movements. From massive trillion-dollar deals between the US and wealthy Middle Eastern monarchies, to a fresh round of Russia–Ukraine dialogue in Ankara the former heart of the Ottoman Empire ,and efforts to ease tensions between India and Pakistan in South Asia, global diplomacy seems entangled in regions dominated by Muslim nations. Even as innocent cries echoed from Gaza, the world’s conscience remained largely silent.
Yet amid this global noise, something quietly profound took place not in the realm of politics, but in science.
From May 18 to 20, 2025, the city of Tehran, capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hosted the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform, an initiative under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Ministers of Science, Technology, and Higher Education from Brunei, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Türkiye, and Qatar — along with top scientists and technocrats — gathered to discuss a future-altering theme,
“Innovation in Science and Technology through using AI: A strategy for excellence, a bright future for the Islamic World”
This wasn’t just another conference ,it was the fulfillment of a vision. In 2016, then-President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed the idea of technological dialogue among leading OIC countries. COMSTECH, the OIC’s Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, revived the initiative by holding the first ministerial meeting in Almaty (2023), and now in 2025, Iran hosted the second marking a decisive step forward.
COMSTECH, headquartered in Islamabad, now serves as the Secretariat for this entire platform — a clear sign that Pakistan plays a key role in shaping the scientific destiny of the Muslim world. Its Coordinator General, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, has been leading this initiative with a vision not only to connect scientists but to unite minds and missions across borders.
Pakistan was officially represented by Mr. Shakil Arshad, Director at the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, while COMSTECH’s four-member delegation, led by Prof. Choudhary, made notable contributions throughout.
The result of the meeting was the Tehran Declaration, unanimously adopted by all participants. It maps a comprehensive blueprint for AI-based cooperation: from collaborative research and human capital development to data-sharing and responsible AI governance. The Declaration also prioritised solving shared challenges in healthcare, climate change, food security, and water management all through scientific collaboration.
But this movement is not spontaneous. The truth is, the Muslim world once led the global scientific discourse.
From Al-Khwarizmi’s algebra, Al-Haytham’s optics, and Al-Biruni’s astronomy, to Ibn Sina’s medicine and Fatima al-Fihri’s founding of the world’s oldest university our past is rich with genius. Our legacy includes Jabir ibn Hayyan’s chemistry, Ibn Khaldun’s sociology, and Al-Zarqali’s astronomical instruments.
But we must ask ourselves honestly: Are today’s Muslim nations true heirs to that legacy?
The defining arena of the 21st century is Artificial Intelligence. It governs not only future warfare, but also economics, education, manufacturing, agriculture, and diplomacy. Algorithms shape not just factories but financial markets and foreign policy.
OIC nations must realise: the age of prosperity through oil, tourism, or traditional trade is fading. Survival in this era depends on self-reliance in science and technology.
As the poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal warned:
“Nations are born in the hearts of poets;
They flourish and die in the hands of politicians.”
In another couplet that defines this very moment, he wrote:
“Open your eyes to the sky, the earth, the stars;
Behold the sun rising once again from the East.”
The Tehran meeting, then, is more than a declaration. It is a call a scientific awakening for the Ummah. And credit goes to COMSTECH, for turning vision into action, and to Iran, for giving this vision a home.
This is not the end. It is the beginning. As national poet of Pakistan, Iqbal said:
“From the banks of the Nile to the sands of Kashgar,The Muslim world is bound by the thread of faith.”
Now, it must also be bound by knowledge, innovation, and a shared scientific destiny. The journey has begun. There is no turning back.
(Writer is serving as Media Coordinator at the OIC-COMSTECH Headqursters in Islamabad)
