THIS is with reference to the letter ‘The real legend’ (July 13) which was in continuation of a discussion going on in these columns about the role of Dr A.Q. Khan, Dr Abdus Salam, Prof Riazuddin and Munir Ahmed Khan in the country’s nuclear programme.

As such, there is no doubt about the achievements of Dr Salam and Prof Riazuddin as well as his twin Prof Fayyazuddin in this regard. However, there are several scientists and engineers who have over the years worked at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and remember some of the big names as ‘egomaniacal lightweights’.

Dr Salam, along with Prof Riazuddin and Munir Ahmed, had participated in a meeting with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Multan in 1972, and subsequently started work on a project on plutonium base. Dr Salam remained a great advocate of the project till 1972, but took a stance against it after he fell out with the government over certain amendments to the Constitution. He then left the project and the country in protest.

Later, when Dr Khan, a nuclear scientist and nuclear metallurgist, was entrusted with the task to manage this project, Munir also left Pakistan and went to the United States. It is believed that he was in favour of plutonium-based device, while Dr Khan had brought with him the more advanced gaseous diffusion mechanism on which he had vast experience.

The gas centrifuges had placed Pakistan at least 10 or so years ahead of its eastern neighbour. Dr Khan, nicknamed by his team ‘Centrifuge Khan’, always gave full credit to his team of scientists and engineers, particularly, Dr G.D. Alam and Dr Tasneem Shah, who solved the critical differential equations concerning rotation around fixed axis under the influence of gravity, which led to Dr Khan coming up with the innovative centri-fugal design, which made it all possible.

Abid Mahmud Ansari
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024