Ishrat Hussain Usmani
Encyclopedia
Ishrat Hussain Usmani, (D.Phil., NI(C)
), (April 15, 1917 - June 17, 1992), best known as Dr. I. H. Usmani, was a Pakistan
i bureaucrat
and an atomic physicist
who was the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) from 1960 to 1972; as well as the Co-chairman of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
. He also officiated as the Chairman of the Board of governors
of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) from 1962 to 1963.
Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani played an important role in Pakistan's road to nuclear technology
to space technology
. Usmani is one of the key founder of many nuclear research institutes and space research institutes. Usmani is also credited to established country's first nuclear power plant in Karachi in cooperation with Canada
.
A prominent nuclear scientist, dr. Inam-ur-Rehman has called Usmani as "The Father of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission", due to his honest effort to build the agency and establishing the nuclear power plants in Pakistan. Usmani is most remember of his efforts in Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. He is most known for his efforts in sending hundreds of young Pakistani students abroad to pursue higher education in the field of nuclear technology.
and Aligarh. In 1936, Usmani received his B.Sc. (Hons) in physics from Aligarh Muslim University
. Later, Usmani obtained masters in physics from University of Bombay. In 1937, the Ishrat Usmani proceeded to the Imperial College, University of London, for research in atomic physics
with the Nobel Laureate
Professor P.M.S. Blackett, and he produced a thesis entitled "A study of the growth of compound crystals by electron diffraction" in 1939. He completed his doctorate in atomic physics
from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. In 1950, while at London, he was personally invited and delegated by American nuclear physicists dr. Alvin M. Weinberg, dr. Robert Charpi, Karl Z. Morgan
, the scientists who had worked in Manhattan Project
, to the United States
where he carried out his research in nuclear power
and reactor technology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
whereas he served as a director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
.
was the first chairman of the commission; Usmani played an important role in the policy of the commission. In 1960, he became a chairman of the PAEC, and Usmani began to build man-power for the Pakistan's future atomic power plants
. He introduces the scholarship program at the commission and send hundreds of scientists abroad. Usmani requested his life-long friends dr. Alvin Martin Weinberg and dr, Robert Charpi to allowed Pakistani students to carried out their research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory
(ANL). He also asked them to arrange an on-the-job training programme in nuclear science and engineering
for a team of PAEC personnel. It was Salam and Usmani's effort to establishment a PAEC's premier nuclear research institute
called the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology
(PINSTECH). Building a world-class research establishment also gave him the opportunity to exercise his abundant artistic talent. He took particular interest in creating a laboratory that was a masterpiece of architecture, first by choosing the world-famous Edward Durrell Stone as architect, and then by paying full attention to every detail in construction and furnishing of the facility.
Professor Abdus Salam was Usmani’s most trusted friend and advisor on science policy in the 1960s. He met with Salam when dr. Abdus Salam was the professor of Theoretical Physics
at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. He provided the crucial support to Salam to established the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), and played a supportive role to make Abdus Salam as the Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
. Salam and Usmani worked as a powerful team to obtain national and international support for the development of science and technology as fundamental to economic growth. It was Salam's advice to Usmani to established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Center at Lahore where he made dr. Ishfaq Ahmad
as its director. Abdus Salam also helped Usmani to established the various atomic research centers such as Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology
(NIAB) in Faisalabad
, and the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture
(NIFA) in Islamabad
.
Dr. I.H. Usmani conceived the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology as an architecturally inspiring edifice that would motivate scientists. Like many other Pakistani scientist, Usmani had worked closely with Abdus Salam on building nuclear power plant
s. Usmani become a second chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, where he, along with Dr. Abdus Salam, became an instrument in setting up nuclear research labs in Pakistan.
Usmani played a solid role in Pakistan's civil-purpose nuclear program. His contribution and efforts were involved in KANUPP
, Pakistan's first civil-purpose nuclear power plant, in Karachi. Usmani carefully and painstakingly developed the country's atomic power program over the previous years. Though, he was invited by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
's "Multan Meeting" where Prime minister
lost no time to announce the PAEC's new chairman, Munir Ahmad Khan
. After the meeting, he privately tried to have a converse with Bhutto to divert the decision of developing the atomic weapons. However, Prime Minister Bhutto
patiently listened to him and declined his offer. Following the year, he was safely silenced. According to the Pakistan Defence Megazine, the megazine has concluded that Usmani had opposed the decision of developing nuclear weapons, he believed that because at the time Pakistan did not have the necessary infrastructure needed for such a technologically giant and ambitious project. Prime Minister Bhutto replaced him and promoted him as a status of Federal Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology
.
where they had a brief meeting with NASA
's officials. Due to his efforts, NASA
's engineers and scientists visited Pakistan where NASA decided to sat up the country's first spaceport
, Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center
.
, Kenya
. In the early 1980s, Usmani worked for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
where he urged for peaceful use of nuclear technology. While there, he produced a brief investigative report on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster
. Dr. Usmani served as Senior Energy Adviser to the United Nations in New York, remaining there until 1985. Usmani was also a member of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
where he helped Pakistan to pursue civil-purpose nuclear program until 1990. Usmani finally retired in 1991 and became a consultant of the New and Emerging Sciences and Technology (NEST).
, traveled to United States
where he led an agreement between Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and United States Atomic Energy Commission
to provide civil-purpose experimental nuclear reactor
. The team of Pakistani nuclear scientists also signed a contract with a noted US architect Edward Durell Stone
to designed and construct Pakistan's first nuclear research institute PINSTECH. In 1965, he served as a board of governors of PINSTECH.
It was Usmani's effort to send 500 scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicist
into the best institutions of USA and Europe. Usmani was heavily involved in Pakistan's first civilian nuclear reactor KANUPP
. In 1972, KANUPP was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan
. KANUPP was successfully commissioned marking Pakistan’s entry in the nuclear age as the second developing – and the only Muslim – country to draw energy from the heart of the atom
. The visionary’s dream had partly come true.
Dr. Usmani died in Karachi
on June 17, 1992. The occasion brought tears to the eyes of many scientists3 and reformers who regarded him with affection. In May 1998, the Government of Pakistan
belatedly recognized Usmani's vital services by awarding the Pakistan's highest civilian award
, Nishan-i-Imtiaz
posthumously by the prime minister
Nawaz Sharif
when Pakistan conducted its first successful nuclear tests
.
Nishan-i-Imtiaz
The Nishan-i-Imtiaz is one of the state organized civil decorations of State of Pakistan. It is the highest honor — along with comparable to optimum award Nishan-e-Pakistan — given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements that caused the world recognition for Pakistan or/ done a...
), (April 15, 1917 - June 17, 1992), best known as Dr. I. H. Usmani, was a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i bureaucrat
Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
and an atomic physicist
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
who was the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan 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...
(PAEC) from 1960 to 1972; as well as the Co-chairman of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission , is an executive agency of the Government of Pakistan, responsible for nation's public and civil space program and aeronautics and aerospace research...
. He also officiated as the Chairman of the Board of governors
Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency
The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is one of the two policy making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference of IAEA members....
of the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
(IAEA) from 1962 to 1963.
Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani played an important role in Pakistan's road to nuclear technology
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
to space 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...
. Usmani is one of the key founder of many nuclear research institutes and space research institutes. Usmani is also credited to established country's first nuclear power plant in Karachi in cooperation with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
A prominent nuclear scientist, dr. Inam-ur-Rehman has called Usmani as "The Father of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission", due to his honest effort to build the agency and establishing the nuclear power plants in Pakistan. Usmani is most remember of his efforts in Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. He is most known for his efforts in sending hundreds of young Pakistani students abroad to pursue higher education in the field of nuclear technology.
Life and Education
Usmani was born into a respected, cultural, upper middle class, and an educated family of DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Aligarh. In 1936, Usmani received his B.Sc. (Hons) in physics from Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
. Later, Usmani obtained masters in physics from University of Bombay. In 1937, the Ishrat Usmani proceeded to the Imperial College, University of London, for research in atomic physics
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
with the Nobel Laureate
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
Professor P.M.S. Blackett, and he produced a thesis entitled "A study of the growth of compound crystals by electron diffraction" in 1939. He completed his doctorate in atomic physics
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. In 1950, while at London, he was personally invited and delegated by American nuclear physicists dr. Alvin M. Weinberg, dr. Robert Charpi, Karl Z. Morgan
Karl Z. Morgan
Karl Ziegler Morgan , was an American physicist who was one of the founders of the field of radiation health physics...
, the scientists who had worked in Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he carried out his research in nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and reactor technology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
whereas he served as a director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
He served in several senior administrative positions in Pakistan. Usmani joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) since its foundation. While, dr. Nazir AhmadNazir Ahmed (physicist)
Nazir Ahmed , D.Phil., was a Pakistani experimental physicist and a chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1956 to 1960. He was born in Lahore, British India .-Life:...
was the first chairman of the commission; Usmani played an important role in the policy of the commission. In 1960, he became a chairman of the PAEC, and Usmani began to build man-power for the Pakistan's future atomic power plants
Nuclear power in Pakistan
As of 2009, nuclear power in Pakistan is provided by 3 licensed-commercial nuclear power plants. Pakistan is the first Muslim country in the world to construct and operate civil nuclear power plants. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission , the scientific and nuclear governmental agency, is solely...
. He introduces the scholarship program at the commission and send hundreds of scientists abroad. Usmani requested his life-long friends dr. Alvin Martin Weinberg and dr, Robert Charpi to allowed Pakistani students to carried out their research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
(ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
(ANL). He also asked them to arrange an on-the-job training programme in nuclear science and engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
for a team of PAEC personnel. It was Salam and Usmani's effort to establishment a PAEC's premier nuclear research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
called the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology
Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology
The Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, or commonly known as "PINSTECH", is a multi-program science and technology national research institute managed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The PINSTECH offers a post-graduate and post-doctoral research in the field of nuclear...
(PINSTECH). Building a world-class research establishment also gave him the opportunity to exercise his abundant artistic talent. He took particular interest in creating a laboratory that was a masterpiece of architecture, first by choosing the world-famous Edward Durrell Stone as architect, and then by paying full attention to every detail in construction and furnishing of the facility.
Professor Abdus Salam was Usmani’s most trusted friend and advisor on science policy in the 1960s. He met with Salam when dr. Abdus Salam was the professor of Theoretical Physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. He provided the crucial support to Salam to established the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), and played a supportive role to make Abdus Salam as the Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Pakistani scientist and Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam after consulting with Munir Ahmad Khan. It operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government, UNESCO, and International Atomic Energy Agency...
. Salam and Usmani worked as a powerful team to obtain national and international support for the development of science and technology as fundamental to economic growth. It was Salam's advice to Usmani to established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Center at Lahore where he made dr. Ishfaq Ahmad
Ishfaq Ahmad
Ishfaq Ahmad , D.Sc., Minister of State, SI, HI, NI, FPAS, is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, and well-known educationist and academic from Pakistan...
as its director. Abdus Salam also helped Usmani to established the various atomic research centers such as Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology
Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology
The Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, also known as NIAB, is an agriculture and food irradiation national research institute managed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Along with Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture , the NIAB reports directly to the PAEC Biological...
(NIAB) in Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, and the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture
Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture
The Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture, known as NIFA, is one of four agriculture and food irradiation research institute managed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission...
(NIFA) in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
.
Dr. I.H. Usmani conceived the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology as an architecturally inspiring edifice that would motivate scientists. Like many other Pakistani scientist, Usmani had worked closely with Abdus Salam on building nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s. Usmani become a second chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, where he, along with Dr. Abdus Salam, became an instrument in setting up nuclear research labs in Pakistan.
Usmani played a solid role in Pakistan's civil-purpose nuclear program. His contribution and efforts were involved in KANUPP
KANUPP
The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, widely known as KANUPP-I, is a commercial nuclear power plant, located at Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. In terms of Nuclear industry, the KANUPP-I is Pakistan's first nuclear power plant and is the first nuclear power plant in the Muslim world to be constructed...
, Pakistan's first civil-purpose nuclear power plant, in Karachi. Usmani carefully and painstakingly developed the country's atomic power program over the previous years. Though, he was invited by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
's "Multan Meeting" where Prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
lost no time to announce the PAEC's new chairman, Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
. After the meeting, he privately tried to have a converse with Bhutto to divert the decision of developing the atomic weapons. However, Prime Minister Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
patiently listened to him and declined his offer. Following the year, he was safely silenced. According to the Pakistan Defence Megazine, the megazine has concluded that Usmani had opposed the decision of developing nuclear weapons, he believed that because at the time Pakistan did not have the necessary infrastructure needed for such a technologically giant and ambitious project. Prime Minister Bhutto replaced him and promoted him as a status of Federal Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry of Science and Technology may refer to:*Ministry of Science and Technology *Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China*Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Denmark...
.
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
Ishrat Usmani had deep interests in Pakistan's space program. He was put jointly in charge of Pakistan's space program with Abdus Salam. In 1960, Usmani and Salam traveled through United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where they had a brief meeting with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's officials. Due to his efforts, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's engineers and scientists visited Pakistan where NASA decided to sat up the country's first spaceport
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
, Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center
Sonmiani
Sonmiani is a coastal town in the southeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan, approximately 145 kilometres northwest of Karachi. The coast of Sonmiani is the northernmost point of the Arabian Sea. The town also serves as a Union Council of Hub Tehsil. Sonmiani is noted for its space research...
.
United Nations
Since 1974 Dr. Usmani resigned from service in Pakistan, and his allegiance transferred to the United Nations when he took up an appointment with the UN Environment Programme in NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. In the early 1980s, Usmani worked for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation was set up by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1955. 21 countries are designated to provide scientists to serve as members of the committee which holds formal meetings annually and submits a report to...
where he urged for peaceful use of nuclear technology. While there, he produced a brief investigative report on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. Dr. Usmani served as Senior Energy Adviser to the United Nations in New York, remaining there until 1985. Usmani was also a member of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
The United Nations Atomic Energy Commission was founded on 24 January 1946 by Resolution 1 of the United Nations General Assembly "to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy."...
where he helped Pakistan to pursue civil-purpose nuclear program until 1990. Usmani finally retired in 1991 and became a consultant of the New and Emerging Sciences and Technology (NEST).
Death and legacy
Usmani is widely given credit of establishing Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. During 1960s, Usmani's effort was involved in Pakistan's quest to acquired nuclear technology as quickly as possible. He, along with his friend, Abdus SalamAbdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
, traveled to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he led an agreement between Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
to provide civil-purpose experimental nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
. The team of Pakistani nuclear scientists also signed a contract with a noted US architect Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
to designed and construct Pakistan's first nuclear research institute PINSTECH. In 1965, he served as a board of governors of PINSTECH.
It was Usmani's effort to send 500 scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
into the best institutions of USA and Europe. Usmani was heavily involved in Pakistan's first civilian nuclear reactor KANUPP
KANUPP
The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, widely known as KANUPP-I, is a commercial nuclear power plant, located at Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. In terms of Nuclear industry, the KANUPP-I is Pakistan's first nuclear power plant and is the first nuclear power plant in the Muslim world to be constructed...
. In 1972, KANUPP was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
. KANUPP was successfully commissioned marking Pakistan’s entry in the nuclear age as the second developing – and the only Muslim – country to draw energy from the heart of the atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
. The visionary’s dream had partly come true.
Dr. Usmani died in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
on June 17, 1992. The occasion brought tears to the eyes of many scientists3 and reformers who regarded him with affection. In May 1998, the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
belatedly recognized Usmani's vital services by awarding the Pakistan's highest civilian award
Civil decorations of Pakistan
The Pakistan Civil Awards were established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent Republic on March 23, 1956. The announcement of civil awards is generally made once a year on Independence Day, August 14, and their investiture takes place on the following...
, Nishan-i-Imtiaz
Nishan-i-Imtiaz
The Nishan-i-Imtiaz is one of the state organized civil decorations of State of Pakistan. It is the highest honor — along with comparable to optimum award Nishan-e-Pakistan — given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements that caused the world recognition for Pakistan or/ done a...
posthumously by the prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
when Pakistan conducted its first successful nuclear tests
Chagai-I
The Chagai-I was a codename referring to the five underground nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan at 15:15hrs in 28th May of 1998. It was named Chagai-I, as the tests were conducted in the Chagai District...
.
External links
See also
- International Atomic Energy AgencyInternational Atomic Energy AgencyThe International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...