Pervez Hoodbhoy & Atta-ur-Rahman: The 20 Years War

Two of Pakistan’s top scientists, Pervez Hoodbhoy, a nuclear scientist and Chairman of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Science and Technology Atta-ur-Rehman, are two individuals who will not even agree to disagree. The feud over Pakistan’s higher education has only gotten more intense with time...online.

Back and forth emails recently leaked between the two scientists have proven that there is most definitely an elephant in the room when discussing Pakistan’s higher education. The dispute between the two Pakistani professors began in 2002, when the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) was established. Mr. Rahman was the institution's first chairman, and it was created to fund, regulate, and certify the country's higher educational institutions. Pervez Hoodbhoy has long been a staunch opponent of the HEC's policy. He thought it was a good idea to dissolve an institution; whose budget increased by an incredible seven times between 2002 and 2008 – a global record’.

Mr. Rahman requested Professor Hoodbhoy to "let bygones be bygones" and expressed "sincere remorse" in an April email exchange that was recently made public. Rahman went on to say that he was almost 80 years old and wasn't feeling well. While wishing Rahman well, Hoodbhoy claimed that he was still “responsible for the single-handed annihilation of Pakistan's higher education system." The scientist also wanted Rahman to apologize to the public on national television and ask pardon.

With only a statement of sorrow, Rahman's recent wish to "mend all bridges" with Hoodbhoy did not suffice when it came down to mending the tense relations.