Munir Ahmad Khan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 20 May 1926 |
| Died | 22 April 1999 (aged 72) |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Alma mater | Government College University University of Punjab North Carolina State University |
| Known for | Pakistan's nuclear deterrent program and nuclear fuel cycle |
| Awards |  Nishan-i-Imtiaz (2012) Hilal-i-Imtiaz (1989) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nuclear reactor physics |
| Institutions | Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission International Atomic Energy Agency Institute of Applied Sciences University of Engineering and Technology International Center for Theoretical Physics |
| Thesis | Investigations on Model Surge Generator (1953) |
| Academic advisors | Walter Zinn |
Munir Ahmad Khan (Urdu: منير احمد خان; 20 May 1926 – 22 April 1999), NI, HI, FPAS, was a Pakistani nuclear reactor physicist who is credited, among others, with being the "father of the atomic bomb program" of Pakistan for their leading role in developing their nation's nuclear weapons during the successive years after the war with India in 1971.[1][2][3]
From 1972 to 1991, Khan served as the chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) who directed and oversaw the completion of the clandestine bomb program from its earliest efforts to develop the atomic weapons to their ultimate nuclear testings in May 1998.[2][4][5] His early career was mostly spent in the International Atomic Energy Agency and he used his position to help establish the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy and an annual conference on physics in Pakistan.[6] As chair of PAEC, Khan was a proponent of the nuclear arms race with India whose efforts were directed towards concentrated production of reactor-grade to weapon-grade plutonium while remained associated with nation's key national security programs.[7]
After retiring from the Atomic Energy Commission in 1991, Khan provided the public advocacy for nuclear power generation as a substitute for hydroelectricity consumption in Pakistan and briefly tenured as the visiting professor of physics at the Institute of Applied Sciences in Islamabad.[8] Throughout his life, Khan was subjected to political ostracization due to his advocacy for averting nuclear proliferation and was rehabilitated when he was honored with the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) by the President of Pakistan in 2012— thirteen years after his death in 1999.[9]
- ^ Ali 2012, pp. 1965–1967
- ^ a b (NYT), The New York Times (24 April 1999). "Obituary: Munir Khan Dies; Developed Pakistan Bomb Project". The New York Times. Paris. p. 1.
- ^ Editorial (17 August 2012). "Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan (1926–1999)" (tag). Nust Science Society. The NUST science Society. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ (IISS), International Institute for Strategic Studies (1 May 2007). "Bhutto was father of Pakistan's Atom Bomb Programme". International Institute for Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ Babar, Farhatullah, "Munir Will Remain Immortal in country's nuclear history," The Nation newspaper (Islamabad) 2 June 1999.
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