Dr. I. H. Usmani or (Ishrat Hussain Usmani) was a Pakistani physicist who was a chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1960 to 1972, and a former co-chairman of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). He was also a chairman of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1962 to 1963. Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usamni played an important role in Pakistan's road to nuclear technology to space technology. Usmani is one of the key founder of many nuclear research institutes and space research institutes. Usmani is also credited to established country's first nuclear power plant in Karachi with the cooperation with Canada.

Life and PAEC Career

Usmani received his B.Sc. in physics from Aligarh Muslim University. later, Usmani obtained masters in physics from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and his doctorate in physics from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London.

He served in several senior administrative positions in Pakistan. Usmani played an important role in development of Pakistan's first sounding rockets Rehbar-I and Rehbar-II, and was a chief designer of the Rehbar sounding rocket series. Like many other Pakistani scientist, Usmani had worked closely with Abdus Salam on building nuclear power plants as well as establishing the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH). Usmani become a second chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, where he, along with Dr. Abdus Salam, became an instrument in setting up nuclear research labs in Pakistan. He was responsible of sending a large number of Pakistani scientists for PhD’s to the best institutions in United Kingdom and United States of America. He also introduced a scholarship program at PAEC. Ishrat Hussain Usamani was one the few scientist who maintained friend and close relationship with well known theoretical physicist, dr. Abdus Salam. His noted theories have big impact and influenced him which later proved in his scientific papers.

Pakistan's Civilian Nuclear Program

Usmani played a solid role in Pakistan's civil-purpose nuclear program. His contribution and efforts were involved in KANNUP, Pakistan's first civil-purpose nuclear power plant, in Karachi. In 1972, he was replaced by Munir Ahmad Khan as chairman of PAEC, when Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto decided to develop nuclear weapons. Some nuclear analysts and experts in Pakistan have concluded that Usmani had showed motives against Pakistan's Nuclear weapon Development Program in which Usmani believes that Pakistan had lack of facilities and talents. Prime Minister Bhutto replaced him and later, he was transferred to Ministry of Science and Technology. However, in 1982, Ishrat Usmani resigned and off to United Nations where he joined United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. In 1983, Usmani became aware of Pakistan first cold-test which was tested by PAEC. Despite of what he believes, Usmani began to help Pakistan to pursue civil purpose nuclear technology and presented Pakistan's peaceful nuclear program at the United Nations. He was one of the central Figures in Pakistan-China Civilian Nuclear Technology Agreement which was signed by China and Pakistan in 1986.

SUPARCO career

Ishrat Usmani had deep interests in Pakistan's space program. Along with dr. Abdus Salam, Usmani was put co-incharge of Pakistan's space program. It was his idea to developed and established the rocket-build factory in Pakistan, which later became a missile factory. In 1960, Usmani and dr. Abdus Salam traveled through United States where they had a brief meeting with NASA's officials. Due to his efforts, NASA's engineers and scientists visited Pakistan where NASA decided to sat up the country's first spaceport, Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center. Usmani, along with dr. Abdus Salam, initiated a sounding rockets program at SUPARCO in 1960s. The program was designed to be trained Pakistan's scientists in rocket and aerospace technology. The Sounding Rocket Program was renamed in 1980s as Hypersonic Rocket Launch Vehicle Project.

In 1980, Usmani was transferred to SUPARCO, where he was put in charge of the satellite development program of Pakistan. There he, along with dr. M. Shafi Ahmed, co-designed Pakistan's first indigenously developed satellite, Badr-1, which was launched in 1990 from China. But soon he resigned from SUPARCO. He also revitalised and re-organized Pakistan's space center and satellite launch center, namely Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center.

U.N. Career

During early of 1980s, Usmani also worked for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation as a physicist where he urged for peaceful use of nuclear technology. Ishrat Usmani was part of the UNSCEAR where he issued a brief investigative report on the Chernobyl disaster, a disastrous nuclear accident which occurred in Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1986. Usmani was a also part of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission where he helped Pakistan to pursue civil-purpose nuclear program. He stayed at U.N. till 1990.

Usmani came back to Pakistan in 1990 and re-joined PAEC under the leadership of noted nuclear engineer Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan. Usmani is a recipient of Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-i-Imtiaz, which was awarded to him in 1998 from the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif when Pakistan conducted its most successful nuclear tests.

Death and Legacy

Usmani is widely given credit of establishing Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. During 1960s, Usmani's effort was invovled in Pakistan's quest to acquired nuclear technology as quick as possible. He, along with his long-associated friend, dr. Abdus Salam, traveled to United States where he led an agreement between PAEC and United States Atomic Energy Commission to provide civil-purpose experimental nuclear reactor. The team of Pakistani nuclear scientists also signed a contract with an noted American Architect Edward Durell Stone to designed and contruct Pakistan's first nuclear research institute PINSTECH. In 1965, he served as a board of governors of PINSTECH^[1].

It was Usmani's effort to send 500 scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicist into the best institutions of USA and Europe. Usmani was heavily involved in Pakistan's first civilian nuclear reactor KANUPP. In 1972, KANUPP was inagurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Kanupp was successfully commissioned marking Pakistan’s entry in the nuclear age as the second developing – and the only Muslim – country to draw energy from the heart of the atom. The visionary’s dream had partly come true^[2].