Nuclear weapons programme Abdus Salam

salam knew importance of nuclear technology in pakistan, civilian , peaceful purposes. but, according biographers, salam played ambiguous role in pakistan s own integrated atomic bomb project. late 1960s, salam made unsuccessful attempt proposal establishment of nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, deferred matter on economic grounds ayub khan. according rehman, salam s influence in nuclear development lessened , diminished late 1974, , became critical of bhutto s control on science. salam did not terminate connection scientists working in theoretical physics division @ paec. 1972–73, had been great advocate atomic bomb project, subsequently took stance against after fell out bhutto on issue of ahmaddiya denomination non-islamic.

in 1965, salam led establishing of nuclear research institute—pakistan institute of nuclear science , technology. in 1965, plutonium reactor pakistan atomic research reactor went critical under leadership of salam. in 1973, salam proposed idea of establishing annual college promote scientific activities in country chairman of paec, munir ahmad khan, wholeheartedly accepted , supported idea. led establishment of international nathiagali summer college on physics , contemporary needs (insc), each year since 1976 scientists on world come pakistan interact pakistani scientists. first annual insc conference held on advanced particle , nuclear physics.

in november 1971, salam met zulfikar ali bhutto in residence, , following bhutto s advice, salam went united states avoid 1971 indo-pak winter war. in 1971, salam had travelled united states , returned pakistan scientific literature manhattan project, , calculations involving in atomic bombs. in 1972, government of pakistan learned development status of first atomic bomb completed under indian nuclear programme. on 20 january 1972, @ multan meeting, bhutto orchestrated develop deterrence programme. former prime minister, zulfikar ali bhutto, formed group of scientists , engineers, first headed salam. in 1972, salam, science advisor president, had managed , participated in secret meeting of nuclear scientists bhutto in multan, came known multan meeting . @ meeting, i.h. usmani protested, believing country had neither facilities nor talent carry out such ambitious , technologically remanding project @ time, whilst salam remained quiet. here, bhutto entrusted salam , appointed munir ahmad khan chairman of paec , head of atomic bomb program, salam had supported khan. few months after meeting, salam, along khan , riazuddin, met bhutto in residence scientists briefed bhutto nuclear weapons program. after meeting, salam established theoretical physics group (tpg) in paec. abdus had led groundbreaking work @ tpg , headed salam until 1974.

an office set salam in prime ministers secretariat order of bhutto. salam started motivate , invite scientists begin work paec in development of fission weapons. in december 1972, 2 theoretical physicists working @ international centre theoretical physics asked salam report munir ahmad khan, scientific director of program. marked beginning of theoretical physics group (tpg) , reporting directly salam. tpg, in paec, assigned conduct research in fast neutron calculations, hydrodynamics (how explosion produced chain reaction might behave), problems of neutron diffusion, , development of theoretical designs of pakistan s nuclear weapon devices. later, theoretical physics group working under leadership of riazuddin, salam s student, began directly report salam, , work on theoretical design of nuclear weapon device completed in 1977. hence, salam had led groundbreaking work in development of weapons programme, khan. in 1972, salam had formed mathematical physics group, under raziuddin siddiqui, charged, theoretical physics group, carrying out research in theory of simultaneity during detonation process, , mathematics involved in theory of nuclear fission following india s surprise nuclear test —pokhran-i – in 1974, munir ahmad khan had called meeting initiate work on atomic bomb, attended salam , @ muhammad hafeez qureshi appointed head of directorate of technical development in paec.

the dtd set co-ordinate work of various specialised groups of scientists , engineers working on different aspects of atomic bomb. word bomb never used in meeting, participants understood being discussed. on march 1974, salam , khan established wah group scientist charged manufacturing materials, explosive lenses , triggering mechanism development of weapon. following setting of dtd, salam, along riazuddin , munir ahmad khan, visited pakistan ordnance factories (pof) held talks senior military engineers led pof chairman lieutenant-general qamar ali mirza. there corps of engineers built metallurgical laboratory in wah cantt in 1976. thus, wah group working under dtd charged material , triggering mechanism development of weapon. salam remained associated nuclear weapons programme until mid-1974, when left country after ahmadi declared non-muslims pakistani parliament. own relations prime minister bhutto fell out , turned open hostility after ahmadiyya community declared not-islamic; lodged public , powerful protest against bhutto regarding issue , gave great criticism bhutto on control on science. in spite of this, salam maintained close relations theoretical physics division @ paec kept him informed every status of calculations needed calculate performance of atomic bomb, according norman dombey. after seeing indian aggression in northern pakistan, followed massive troops rotation in southern pakistan, salam again renewed ties senior scientists working in atomic bomb projects, including ishfaq ahmad , others, had kept him inform scientific development of program. in 1980s, salam approved many appointments , large influx of pakistani scientists associateship program @ ictp , cern, , engaged in research in theoretical physics students @ ictp.

in 2008, indian scholar ravi singh noted in book in 1978, abdus salam paec officials, paid secret visit china, , instrumental in initiating industrial nuclear cooperation between 2 countries. although had left country, salam did not hesitate advise paec , theoretical , mathematical physics group on important scientific matters, , kept close association tpg , paec.