Javaid Laghari
Encyclopedia
Javaid Laghari , is a Pakistani electrical engineer and science administrator who is currently serving as the chairperson of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. He is an academic and an aerospace scientist, Legahi is the vocal proponent of the socialist democratic
activist and staunch supporter of technocracratic democracy in the country. He was previously Senator of Pakistan from the Pakistan Peoples Party
. Due to his support for socialism
in the country, Leghari has been a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party
, a socialist democratic party. Having started his career as Science Advisor to the Benazir Bhutto during her second and last Prime ministerial term, and has been associate with Bhutto long before becoming Science Advisor to Bhutto. After this post, Benazir Bhutto appointed him as the President
of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
(SZABIST) and prior to joining SZABIST, he was the Director of Graduate
Studies, and Chairman of the Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the State University of New York at Buffalo where he served as the senior professor of of Electrical and Computer Engineering there..
He served as the Senator to the Senate Secretariat
in 2006 for a six year term and resigned in July 2009. He specializes in Energy
and Power, Higher Education
, Information Technology
, Space Power Technology
and leadership
and has published over 120 research papers in refereed journals and presented over 70 papers at International Conferences. He is also the author of two books, "Reflections on Benazir Bhutto" and "Leaders of Pakistan". Laghari gained a national and international reputation during the "fake degree" saga of the parliamentarians in Pakistan in summer of 2010, when he took a principled stand and had HEC verify the degrees of all parliamentarians. As a reesult, a large number of parliamentarians were disqualified from the parliament. During the process, he received multiple threats, including to his life, and his younger brother, Farooq Laghari, a bureaucrat, was arrested by the Sindh government.
in 1949. In 1967, he attended the Sindh University
where he enrolled in the Department of Electrical Engineering. In 1971, Leghari received his B.Eng.
in Electrical Engineering. In 1972, Laghari then traveled to Ankara
, Turkey and completed his post graduate studies at the Middle East Technical University
and received his M.S. in electrical engineering
in 1975. He then traveled to United States and joined University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
where he received his Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1980.
of AFOSR, the Office of Naval Research
, the Naval Research Lab, the Defense Nuclear Agency
, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
, the Strategic Defense Initiative
, Hughes Aircraft
and the Boeing Aerospace Company
. He was Chairman of the 1992 IEEE International Conference on High Voltage Engineering and has organized numerous International Conferences and chaired a large number of Sessions and Workshops in the United States.
. He led the Pakistani delegation on nuclear safety
at the United Nations
. He was the representative on the United States Activities Board on Man and Radiation. He attended the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Space Systems and the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Fast Electrical and Optical Diagnostics Laghari was also the Chairman of the National Conference on Emerging Technologies 2004 (NCET2004) held in Pakistan in December 2004.
Human Resource Development Committee, the Private Export Software Board, the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology and The Sindh Information Technology Board. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery
, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences
and sites on the Executive Committee of the Asia University Federation and the Executive Committee of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.
He is the recipient of the 1994 IEEE Award for Leadership and dedicated Services and the 1999 "Tamgha-e-Imtiaz" award conferred by the President of Pakistan
.
Socialist Democracy
Socialist Democracy can refer to any of several political parties. Groups using this name tend to have a connection to the reunified Fourth International, reflecting its distinctive position on socialist democracy :*Socialist Democracy...
activist and staunch supporter of technocracratic democracy in the country. He was previously Senator of Pakistan from the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
. Due to his support for socialism
Socialism in Pakistan
The influences of Socialism and socialist movements in Pakistan have been fluctuating and often limited at various times throughout the country's history and at present remain questionable...
in the country, Leghari has been a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
, a socialist democratic party. Having started his career as Science Advisor to the Benazir Bhutto during her second and last Prime ministerial term, and has been associate with Bhutto long before becoming Science Advisor to Bhutto. After this post, Benazir Bhutto appointed him as the President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology is a Pakistani university, with headquarters at Karachi and campuses at Islamabad, Karachi, Larkana and Dubai...
(SZABIST) and prior to joining SZABIST, he was the Director of Graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
Studies, and Chairman of the Department
Academic department
An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....
of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the State University of New York at Buffalo where he served as the senior professor of of Electrical and Computer Engineering there..
He served as the Senator to the Senate Secretariat
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
in 2006 for a six year term and resigned in July 2009. He specializes in Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and Power, Higher Education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Space Power Technology
Space technology
Space technology is technology that is related to entering, and retrieving objects or life forms from space."Every day" technologies such as weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, satellite television, and some long distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure...
and leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
and has published over 120 research papers in refereed journals and presented over 70 papers at International Conferences. He is also the author of two books, "Reflections on Benazir Bhutto" and "Leaders of Pakistan". Laghari gained a national and international reputation during the "fake degree" saga of the parliamentarians in Pakistan in summer of 2010, when he took a principled stand and had HEC verify the degrees of all parliamentarians. As a reesult, a large number of parliamentarians were disqualified from the parliament. During the process, he received multiple threats, including to his life, and his younger brother, Farooq Laghari, a bureaucrat, was arrested by the Sindh government.
Early life
Laghari was born in HyderabadHyderabad, Sindh
is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
in 1949. In 1967, he attended the Sindh University
University of Sindh
The University of Sindh informally known as Sindh University is the second oldest university in Pakistan accredited by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan....
where he enrolled in the Department of Electrical Engineering. In 1971, Leghari received his B.Eng.
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
in Electrical Engineering. In 1972, Laghari then traveled to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey and completed his post graduate studies at the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
and received his M.S. in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in 1975. He then traveled to United States and joined University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
where he received his Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1980.
US research work
Laghari worked in the United States as a researcher at NASA, the Air Force Research LaboratoryAir Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable aerospace warfighting technologies; planning and executing the Air Force science and...
of AFOSR, the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
, the Naval Research Lab, the Defense Nuclear Agency
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is an agency within the United States Department of Defense and is the official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction . DTRA's main functions are threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development...
, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization was an agency of the United States Department of Defense that began on 20 May 1974 with the responsibility for all U.S. ballistic missile defense efforts. It evolved from the SAFEGUARD System Organization. The original mission of BMDO was comparable to...
, the Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
, Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
and the Boeing Aerospace Company
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
. He was Chairman of the 1992 IEEE International Conference on High Voltage Engineering and has organized numerous International Conferences and chaired a large number of Sessions and Workshops in the United States.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Laghari was the chairman of the Technical Standards Committee on Radiation Effects at the Pakistan Atomic Energy CommissionPakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
. He led the Pakistani delegation on nuclear safety
Nuclear safety
Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, and the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power,...
at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He was the representative on the United States Activities Board on Man and Radiation. He attended the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Space Systems and the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Fast Electrical and Optical Diagnostics Laghari was also the Chairman of the National Conference on Emerging Technologies 2004 (NCET2004) held in Pakistan in December 2004.
Public service
Laghari has been a Member of the Ministry of Science and TechnologyMinistry of Science and Technology (Pakistan)
The Ministry of Science and Technology , is a Cabinet-level ministry of government of Pakistan concerned with science and technology in Pakistan and in general, Pakistan's science policies, planning, coordination and directing of efforts to initiate and launch scientific and technological programs...
Human Resource Development Committee, the Private Export Software Board, the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology and The Sindh Information Technology Board. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
and sites on the Executive Committee of the Asia University Federation and the Executive Committee of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.
He is the recipient of the 1994 IEEE Award for Leadership and dedicated Services and the 1999 "Tamgha-e-Imtiaz" award conferred by the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
.
Selected Research Papers and Patents
- Surface Flashover of Spacers in Compressed Gas Insulated Systems,J. R. Laghari and A. H. Qureshi, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-16, No. 5, 1981,
- A Review of Particle-Contaminated Gas Breakdown, J. R. Laghari and A. H. Qureshi, "IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-16, No. 5, 1981,pp. 388–398.
- Spacer Flashover in Compressed Gases, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-20, vol. No. 1.
- Testing and Evaluation of Insulating Films: Part I: Description of Test Facilities at the University at Buffalo, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Electrical Insulation, Vol. 2, No.6, 1986.
- Testing and Evaluation of Insulating Films: Part II: Test Results using Facilities at the University at Buffalo, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Electrical Insulation, Vol. 2, No. 6, 1986.
- A Review of ac and Pulse Capacitor Technology, J. R. Laghari, Applied Physics Communications, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1986.
- On the Design of Field-Controlled Multi-Layer Foil Insulation, S. Cygan and J. R. Laghari,IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 1, 1987, pp. 107–108.
- Multifactor Stress Aging of Dielectrics", J. R. Laghari, Applied Physics Communications, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1987.
- Repetitive Phenomena in Dielectics M. Treanor, J. R. Laghari and A. K. Hyder, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 4, 1987, pp. 517–522.
- Dependence of Electrical Strength on Thickness, Area and Volume of Polypropylene", S. Cygan and J. R. Laghari, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 6, 1987.