Ishrat Hussain Usmani

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After the partition of India in 1947 by the United Kingdom, Usmani, who had decided to never teach physics at the university, chose to continue his public service with the Government of Pakistan, serving in various federal agencies including his role as Chief Controller of Imports and Exports with the Ministry of Finance.: 13  He built up his prestige in the federal government and was noted by President Ayub Khan for his doctorate in physics who could advise the federal government on scientific matters, especially ways of electricity generation in Pakistan besides hydroelectricity.

In 1959, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then-Minister of Energy in the Ayub administration, lobbied to appoint Usmani to the corporate administration of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission that was being chaired by Dr. Nazir Ahmed, and eventually took its chairmanship in 1960. Under his chairmanship, Usmani engaged the PAEC towards the peaceful usage of nuclear energy for greater industrial output, and supported the American initiatives for Atoms for Peace.: 14  Usmani launched the PAEC scholarship program that selected 50 of the brightest students in physical science, mathematics, and engineering to pursue higher education in the United States, namely attending the University of North Carolina, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Michigan.: 14  Funding of the students was not restricted to study in United States but also in United Kingdom and Canada.: 14  In addition, Usmani placed a request to his American friends, Dr. Alvin Martin Weinberg and Dr. Robert Charpi, to allow Pakistan's foreign exchange students to carry out their research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), asking them to arrange an on-the-job training program at their sites.: 15

In 1961, Usmani commissioned the American firms, the Gibbs and Hill and Internuclear Company, to conduct feasibility and standard study for the establishment of nuclear power plants, whose recommendations became the standard for the PAEC's construction of nuclear power industry in the country.: 15  Usmani also provided his support to Planning Commission and Geological Survey (GSP) to independently conduct surveys for the construction of the power plant, and engaged in negotiation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for financial and further support for the power plant to be constructed in Karachi, known as the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP).: 15  In 1967, Usmani played a pivotal role in securing the federal funding for establishing the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology near Islamabad– a visionary national laboratory site functioning under Dr. Abdus Salam, a theoretical physicist.: 15  He helped negotiate the establishment of the Institute by speaking with the American architect, Edward Durrell Stone, and oversaw the final construction of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology by 1967–68. : 15–16

Usmani also took great interest in space exploration by helping Dr. Abdus Salam establishing the Space Research Commission in 1961, serving as its deputy director, and sought NASA's helped in his nation's first rocket launching program.

Usmani was well known for his support for the anti-nuclear weapons movement, and saw the American 'Project Plowshare' tests for using nuclear bombs to create artificial lakes as ineffective and insignificant. In 1967–70, he worked with the Ministry of Defense on nuclear arms control by advising the Yahya administration. At one point, Usmani refused to allow a team of Pakistani scientists to participate in the American testing because he believed, "Pakistan would not be benefitted at all due to the technology Pakistanis at that time were unfamiliar with it. In 1964, he deplored the People's Republic of China's first nuclear test, 'Project 596', but congratulated the Chinese scientists for their achievement while cautiously stressing for the Chinese to focus towards increasing living standards and their gross national product (GNP) rather than conducting atomic tests.: 173

He also rebuffed Homi J. Bhabha's claim of India following the American nuclear tests, and viewed negatively India's claims of their first test, 'Smiling Buddha' being a "peaceful" atomic test in 1974. In 1971, there was a serious diplomatic incident when PAEC's Dhaka Center complained of the air quality when it detected nuclear particles that originated from China, Usmani reportedly shared the data with Americans when the Pakistan Air Forces' (PAF) Boeing WC-135 Constant Phoenix was flown on a secretive air sampling mission over China— this matter was quietly closed between China and Pakistan.: 91

By 1971, PAEC had become a world leading nuclear organization and focused their role towards the advancement of science and technology while developing the nuclear power generation program,accompanying the officials at the commissioning services of the KANUPP-I– Pakistan's first nuclear power plant. As Chairman of the PAEC, Usmani tried advising for nuclear arms control to the Bhutto administration by keeping their nuclear capability as discreet as possible to prevent unwanted international attention. Usmani was widely notorious at PAEC for disrupting research on nuclear materials by transferring scientists to non-technical and corporate positions.: 91  Usmani also strongly objected and vocally disagreed with the appointment of Dr. Mubashir Hassan, an engineer with doctorate in civil engineering, as Finance Minister who was looking after the PAEC's operational scope.: 90

On 20 January 1972, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto relieved Usmani from the Chairmanship by appointing Munir Ahmad Khan, a reactor physicist, in his place.: 90 : 11  Usmani was dispatched to the Ministry of Science and Technology as its Secretary, remaining involved with the PAEC's matter, and continued lobbying for arms control.: 90  This appointment remained short when he was fired from the position and dispatched to the Ministry of Education.: 11

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