THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Ignoring a legend’ (June 11), which rightly pointed out the tendency among politicians to take credit for achievements in the even technical domain at the cost of scientists and engineers responsible for them. However, the choice of hero — Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan — made in the said letter was at best debatable.

He is proclaimed as a nuclear scientist, but he was actually a metallurgist. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had Abdus Salam, who at the time was the prime minister’s scientific advisor, to make the bomb, as he had access to ample fuel. Subsequently, Salam put together a team, led by his ex-PhD student, Prof Riazuddin of the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), to design as well as construct the bomb with the help of the team atthe Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which was led by Muneer Ahmed Khan.

Prof Riazuddin was appointed Member Technical of the PAEC and proceeded to design and oversee the construction of the bomb. For this purpose, the team used reverse engineering of the bomb, and succeeded in its efforts during the tenure of Gen Ziaul Haq. The bomb was not tested at the time to avoid international repercussions, and was tested during the tenure of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

In essence, credit should be given to the self-effacing scientist, Prof Riazuddin, and his team of scientists, engineers and technicians at the PAEC, rather than to any of the many self-projecting individuals.

Asghar Qadir
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024