Assignment No.

Subject:

Social Studies and Humanities

Submitted By:

Hurmat-E-Amna

Registration No.:

2020-ag-8712 (B Section)

Submitted To:

Ma’am Musharaf Sultana

Submission Date:

25-12-2020
 Pakistan as 7th Atomic Power
“For us to become an atomic power was unavoidable.”

Pakistan came into being by the grace of Allah Almighty on 14 August 1947, 27 Ramadan-al –
Mubarak. Behind the creation of Pakistan there was a hidden doctrine that is known as two nation
doctrine. Muslims faced a lot of troubles by British government and by Hindus before the partition
of subcontinent.

The question lies that why there is need to be an atomic power? After the partition, as Pakistan
was the part of subcontinent, the Hindus never accepted it as separate country. Rather they find
way to torture Pakistan. Kashmir is still another territorial conflict between both the countries. The
India Pakistan dispute over the reign has sparked three major wars. India attacked Pakistan many
times after partition. Firstly in 1948, Secondly in 1965, and Thirdly in 1971, so it is the worst
enemy of Pakistan. There is large mass destruction occurred in both the countries. In 1971, the
incident of Dhakka fall occurred. Zulfikar Aki Bhutto was ruling in that times. India have
successful nuclear explosion in 1974, which was the sign of destruction for us. When India became
a nuclear power, how could Pakistan lag in the face of its illegal occupation of Kashmir and its
threats to Pakistan?

Bhutto’s role:
No sooner had India declared their nuclear designs than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto opted for the nuclear
weapon even earlier than India went ahead for nuclear explosion on May 18, 1974. In a meeting
of scientists hurriedly called on January 20, 1972, Bhutto urged the Pakistani scientists to carry
out the task of ‘fission in three years. The task was assigned to Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission. Dr A. Q. Khan at that time was studying in Holland. On September 17, 1974, while
he was working for Anglo-Dutch-German nuclear engineering consortium Urenco, the
Netherlands, he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Bhutto through Pakistan Ambassador in Belgium.
He informed him about the nature of his job and offered his services with a suggestion for taking
a shortcut of uranium enrichment. He met Bhutto in December 1974 and convinced him to manage
nuclear deterrence for Pakistan. India’s first test of a nuclear bomb in May 1974 played a
significant role in motivating Pakistan to build its own. President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto forcefully
advocated the nuclear option and famously said in 1965 that:

"If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass or leaves, even go hungry, but we will get one of
our own."

Laboratories (ERL). However, on 01 May 1981, ERL was renamed through an order by Gen.
Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq as Dr. A.Q. Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). On May 28, 1998,
Pakistan successfully tested its first nuclear device and emerged as the only Muslim country to
join the nuclear club.

The scientific contributions of Dr. A. Q. Khan have been recognized in several ways. As an active
scientist and technologist, he has published more than 188 scientific research papers.

Abdul Qadir’s Khan Contribution:

A.Q. Khan initially worked with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), headed by Munir
Ahmad Khan, for a short period. But since he was not satisfied with this set-up, Bhutto gave A.Q.
Khan in July 1976 autonomous control of the Kahuta Enrichment Project that had been already
operative as Project-706 since 1974, two years prior to A.Q. Khan’s arrival in Pakistan. When Dr.
A.Q. Khan joined, it was called Engineering Researching international journals. Under his
supervision, the process of Uranium enrichment was effectively accomplished, and significant
development was also made with the successful test firing of Intermediate Range Ballistic
Missiles, Ghauri 1, in April 1998 and Ghauri II in April 1999.

Awards: For his contributions in the field of science and technology,

• Dr Khan was awarded Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 1996 and again in 1998. Thus, he is the only
Pakistani to have received twice the highest civil award.
• He is also a recipient of Hilal-i-Imtiaz During 1990s.

There were reports in the Western media that Dr. A. Q. Khan had been involved in the sale of
centrifuge parts to Libya and Iran In November 2003, Pakistan was warned of possible nuclear
leaks and according to an IAEA report, Dr. Khan was accused of having at the center of an
international proliferation network. Consequently, he was retired from KRL and was appointed as
Advisor to the President. In the beginning Dr. Khan denied any kind of personal involvement in
the nuclear proliferation. However, on February 4, 2004 in a television appearance he took “full
responsibility” for his action and seemed “pardon” from the nation. Since then, he is in safe custody
and no one is allowed to see him.

Conservatives within the Sharif administration, particularly Foreign Minister Gohar Ayyub Khan
pressed very hard for tests. And the Pakistani military, the true seat of power in Pakistan and the
actual authority over its nuclear weapons, had been eager to conduct tests for years. Sharif thus
faced unbearable pressure to authorize its own nuclear test series. It is very likely that had he
refused to go along with tests, Sharif's government would have fallen to a military takeover then
and there (rather than 17 months later).

As Atomic Power:
India exploded more nuclear bombs in early May 1998. Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear weapon test were
con demanded by international community. India’s test created an untenable situation for Prime
Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. In the wake of India's tests, Pakistan felt an urgent need to
demonstrate its own prowess in a similar manner for many reasons - to deny India unilateral
technical advantage it might have gained from conducting tests; to restore a sense of a balance-of-
power with India in the eyes of itself, India, and the world; et cetera. Pressure for test spanned the
political spectrum from liberals like opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to the religious right. Bhutto
reportedly went so far as to declare that: "If there is military capability to eliminate India's
nuclear capacity, it should be used."
 Despite the inevitability of the Pakistani response, it was a strategic
disaster. Pakistan had suffered under the penalties of the Pressler
Amendment for years. If Pakistan had abjured testing at this point, its
status on the world stage would have climbed dramatically - as the
"responsible" member of the India-Pakistan confrontation. The
symbolic significance of turning the other cheek in the face of India's
provocative testing would have made Pakistan the idol of proponents
of non-proliferation, and likely would have led to the repeal of the
Foreign Minister Pressler Amendment sanctions. But by responding in kind, Pakistan
Gohar Ayyub Khan on not only lost all of these opportunities, it subjected itself to additional
30 May 1998 sanctions imposed in retaliation.

The day after the first tests Ayyub Khan said the Asian subcontinent has been thrust into a nuclear
arms race and indicated that Pakistan was ready to conduct a nuclear test of its own. "We are
prepared to match India; we have the capability ... We in Pakistan will maintain a balance with
India in all fields," he said in an interview. "We are in a headlong arms race on the subcontinent."

Prime Minister Sharif was much more subdued, refusing to say whether a test would be conducted
in response: "We are watching the situation and we will take appropriate action with regard
to our security," he said.

After returning to the country from a trip to Central Asia on 13 May Sharif met for several hours
with senior military officials and senior members of his government to discuss India's action,
which appeared to have taken Pakistan's security establishment by surprise. "We didn't have any
advance information on these explosions," said a member of Sharif's cabinet.

Another cabinet member said, "Not surprisingly, many ministers thought it was the ideal moment
for Pakistan to test its nuclear device," and Pakistan's army informed Sharif that it will be ready
"within a week" to conduct an underground nuclear test on 24 hours' notice. But officials familiar
the deliberations spoke of a division within the cabinet over an appropriate Pakistani response.
According to an aide, Sharif appeared to favor "a balanced and moderate response" and ordered a
report on the cost the country would have to bear if a Pakistani nuclear test brought international
sanctions.

The same day President Clinton telephone Sharif and urged him not to go ahead with a test, asking
him "not to respond to an irresponsible act in kind."

On 28 May at 15:00 UCT Prime Minister Sharif began his televised address (pre-announced four
hours before) with the statement:

"Today, we have settled a score and have carried out five successful nuclear tests."

In a later address to Pakistani and foreign reporters, Sharif said:

"Pakistan today successfully conducted five nuclear tests. The results were as expected. There was
no release of radioactivity. I congratulate all Pakistani scientists, engineers and technicians for
their dedicated teamwork and expertise in mastering complex and advanced technologies. The
entire nation takes justifiable pride in the accomplishments of the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission, Dr. A.Q. Khan Research Laboratories, and all affiliated Organizations... Our
security, and the peace and stability of the entire region, was gravely threatened. As any self-
respecting nation, we had no choice left for us. Our hand was forced by the present Indian
leadership's reckless actions. We could not ignore the magnitude of the threat... Under no
circumstances would the Pakistani nation compromise on matters pertaining to its life and
existence. Our decision to exercise the nuclear option has been taken in the interest of national
self-defense. These weapons are to deter aggression, whether nuclear or conventional."
Pakistan conducted a series of nuclear tests on 28 May 1998 at the Chagai test site,
Baluchistan, in the eastern part of the country. The testing of a single nuclear device followed
on 30 May. This day (28 May) is known as Taqbeer Day. There was the sound of “Allah hu
Akbar” everywhere. That was the great achievement made by Pakistan. On that day Pakistan
become seventh atomic power, and first atomic power in Islamic word. That was return blow for
India.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later acknowledged that the tests had been carried out in
reaction to the Indian nuclear tests earlier that month:
“If India had not exploded the bomb, Pakistan would not have done so. Once New Delhi did
so, we had no choice because of public pressure." The tests further heightened the tensions
between the two States and stimulated a nuclear arms race in the region.”
On 31 May, the day after the second test, the test team flew into the capital of Islamabad from
Baluchistan Province in a special C-130 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission (PAEC) Chairman Ishfaq Ahmed Khan, PAF officials and staff from NDC
and KRL received the team. Dr. Samar Mubarakmand Director General of the PAEC National
Development Complex (NDC) who led the test team was the chief recipient of the congratulations.
Along with Mubarakmand, senior scientists Dr. Tariq Salija and Dr. Irfan Burney were the key
members of the team - responsible for both developing and testing the devices.
"I congratulate the entire nation - We owe our success to their prayers and support," said a heavily
garlanded Mubarakmand said in his brief talk to the enthusiastic crowd.
"It is the outcome of teamwork, who worked dedicatedly day and night to come up to the
expectations of the nation."
The achievement, he said, "reflects the professional competence of the Pakistani engineers who in
a short time accomplished the task."
Later talking to the newsmen, Mubarakmand said, "we accomplished the given task in a matter of
about eight days only."
He was appreciative of his team of scientists, engineers and technicians who made the mission a
success. He said, a team of around 150 scientists worked at Chagai.
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, a senior scientist, who arrived with Mubarakmand
said "we got the expected results." He said, "the team stayed at the test site for 8-10 days and
worked in excruciating temperatures, ranging up to 53 degrees Celsius.
Another scientist requesting anonymity said that Pakistan had undertaken cold tests, but now it
had access to more data to serve as a reference in going ahead with computer simulations for newer
designs and types of nuclear devices. He attributed the success to the "stringent quality control"
and said it was one of the basic reasons that no test failed.
Describing the differences between the test of a nuclear device and its weaponized version, the
head of another section said,
"the weaponized versions are more rugged and can withstand, high velocity, extreme temperatures
and vibration, whereas the nuclear devices comprise the same material, but which remains in a
static state."
The scientists of Pakistan, with the co-operation of the successive governments, succeeded in
detonating six unclear bombs in late May 1998. This established it as the seventh nuclear world
power after the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and India.

Positive Results: The status of Pakistan, as a nuclear power, has a few positive results.
1) First, it corrected the balance of power in South Asia that was in Indian’s favor after its
nuclear explosions. India could no longer threaten or blackmail Pakistan into a forced
solution of the Kashmir problem. It could no longer think of invading Pakistan
across international frontiers as it had done in 1965. On the other hand, Pakistan’s nuclear
status acted as a great support to the Arabs against Israel. Israel now could not decide to
attack Middle Eastern countries like Syria and Saudi Arabia for fear of the Islamic bomb.
2) Secondly, Pakistan could now oppose India’s claim to a seat in the Security Council of the
UN as the world’s largest democracy with nuclear capability. If Pakistan could not gain a
permanent seat in the Security Council, why should India?
3) Thirdly, Pakistan’s nuclear capability gave it a golden chance to develop it for peaceful
purposes. The atomic scientists of the country are now researching on the use of atomic
energy to produce electricity (power) at different places in the country. Several advanced
countries like France, Germany, Britain, China, and Japan are already making use of atomic
energy to produce cheap electricity on a massive scale. When we have a nuclear power
plant in Karachi to produce electricity, it will be possible to have further, better plants in
other cities. For this, we could arrange tours of our scientists to the advanced countries to
study and learn the techniques of manufacturing and using modern nuclear power plants.
4) Another use of nuclear energy can be in medicine. Some dangerous diseases like cancer
and pains in the joint and eye diseases can possibly be treated and cured through advanced
atomic techniques.
5) Fourthly, atomic energy can be used in place of natural fuels like oil and gas. In the
advanced countries like the US and Russia, ships and submarines use nuclear energy as
fuel. The same can be done by the developing countries like ours. If cars, buses, and planes
also start using nuclear or some other equally effective fuel, travel and communication will
become extremely cheap.
No doubt, atomic energy is a great blessing. It can, however, be the worst curse if it is used for
destructive purposes. Most of the world can be destroyed almost completely using atomic energy
in a negative way. Let Pakistan initiate a programmed to show and exemplify how nuclear energy
can be an answer to many of our problems arising out of disease and shortage of natural fuels.
Then other peaceful uses of atomic energy can be suggested through continuous research and
effort.