PESHAWAR: Sahabzada Muhammad Jawad is headed towards becoming the first P.hD in the country who has carried out research on scorpions but the journey does not seem that smooth. The lack of resources to finish it off is a big hindrance for the student who seeks government support to complete the task.
Jawad, who lives in Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), talked to News360 about his journey and told that he initially read an article about the scorpions in a magazine. This triggered me to carry out research on the arthropods in Pakistan which had never been done, he added.
But choosing an unorthodox research topic thus came with multiple challenges. According to the P.hD student, it is proving to be an uphill task as there is a meager number of experts on scorpions in the country.
“ I am in contact with professors of different universities in Brazil, Turkey and the United States (US) besides my research supervisor. This helps me to make research more extensive”.
Jawad has caught over 600 species of scorpions which he has stored in a refrigerator at his home. There is no such laboratory where I can keep the arthropods, he added.
The doctoral student told that there are over 2,500 species of scorpions around the world and has some 20 families. They are found everywhere in the world except Antarctica and New Zealand.
He informed the living conditions for the arthropods vary according to the geographical location.
“ It’s always dangerous, they can bite me”, he expressed.
Internet surfing has become an integral part of Jawad’s life. “It is also important for me to remain aware of the latest researches on scorpions”, he said.
However, there is no laboratory in Pakistan where Jawad could carry out the analysis. Therefore, it is not an option but a necessity for him to travel abroad to carry out the procedure.
Jawad had his research proposal approved by a university in New York, US for six months to complete his research. However, he seeks the government’s help to fly there.
Jawad does not have the resources required to carry out research on scorpions.
Jawad told that rare species of scorpions are found in India, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, the government is not paying heed to it.
Jawad suggested that rare species of arthropods could be traded with different countries to earn heavy revenue.
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Jawad said that if he was given a laboratory to conduct research, he can teach others deeply about the species and types of scorpions. My research will also benefit others, he added.
Jawad has demanded the government to assist him in carrying out the remaining part of his research and arrange travel for him to any country abroad for a year and bear expenses.
The doctoral student said that the entire world was researching on scorpion venom and it is required that the indigenous government takes this seriously too.
Jawad said that KP could become an exporter of scorpions if the government supported him.