Activities of IOS Headquarters

Felicitation Ceremony

Institute of Objective Studies and Indian Association of Muslim Social Scientists felicitated Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, on 23.6.2004. The programme was organised at India International Centre. A large number of prominent people from all walks of life attended the programme.

Prof. Z.M. Khan welcomed the chief guest as well as introduced the IOS. He hoped that the nation and the Millat will benefit from the new Minister of Communication and Information Technology.

Welcoming the honourable minister, Prof. Nafis A. Siddiqui requested him to work for the welfare of the minorities and the marginalized. Mr. Manzoor Ahmad, Vice-Chairman, IOS, introduced the speaker to the audience. Dr. Ahmad did his MBBS from Patna and went to Canada for higher medical studies. He comes from a respected political family of Bihar. His grandfather was an elected member of Bihar Assembly in pre independence India. He had defeated the Muslim League candidate on a Congress ticket. His father Mr. Abdul Shakoor was member of Bihar Assembly for several years and served it as Deputy Speaker for nine years.

Dr. Shakeel Ahmad was first elected to Bihar Assembly in 1985. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1990, 1992 and 1999. He was first elected to the Parliament in 1998. This is his second term in Parliament after winning in 2004 elections. In Manmohan Singh ministry he is Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology. Earlier he was Minister of Health in Bihar Government. He has also held several important party positions including the presidentship of Bihar unit of Congress. All through his career Dr. Ahmad has been a straightforward politician. He is committed to serve the nation and the Millat, remarked the IOS Vice-Chairman.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Shakeel Ahmad thanked the IOS. He urged upon the Muslim community to learn to live in a plural society, to know the art of survival, to know its interests and work accordingly. He opined that in order to punish some one politically, the community should not harm itself. He appealed to the Indian Association of Muslim Social Scientists to work for making Indian Muslims politically mature. He said he would like to benefit from the researches carried out by the IOS and hoped to receive suggestions and feed back in order to serve the community and the nation.

In his presidential remarks Dr. M. Manzoor Alam congratulated Dr. Shakeel Ahmad for becoming minister and hoped that he would continue to work for all the marginalized sections including minorities. He expressed the view that when a people are pushed to the corner, they behave rashly. There is lesson to learn, for blaming them would serve no purpose, remarked Dr. Alam. He further opined that the marginalized sections have pinned their hope on young and dynamic leaders like him. He also said that if this government does not work for five years or fails to deliver, the communal forces will again come to power.