Ishrat Hussain Usmani (Ph.D., NI(C)), (April 15, 1917 - June 17, 1992), (Urdu: ڈاکٹر عشر ت حيسن تثماني), best known as I. H. Usmani, was a Pakistani bureaucrat and atomic physicist who was the 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)^[1]. He was also a chairman of the Board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1962 to 1963.

Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani 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.

A prominent nuclear scientist, dr. Inam-ur-Rehman has called Usmani as "The Father of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission", due to his honest effort to build the agency and establishing the nuclear power plants in Pakistan. Usmani is most remember of his efforts in Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. He is most known for his efforts in sending hundreds of young Pakistani students abroad to pursue higher education in the field of nuclear technology.

Usmani was born into a respected, cultural, upper middle class, and an educated family of Delhi and Aligarh. In 1936, Usmani received his B.Sc. (Hons) in physics from Aligarh Muslim University. Later, Usmani obtained masters in physics from University of Bombay. In 1937, the Ishrat Usmani proceeded to the Imperial College, University of London, for research in atomic physics with the Nobel Laureate Professor P.M.S. Blackett, and he produced a thesis entitled "A study of the growth of compound crystals by electron diffraction" in 1939^[2]. He completed his doctorate in atomic physics from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. In 1950, while at London, he was personally invited and delegated by American nuclear physicists dr. Alvin M. Weinberg, dr. Robert Charpi, Karl Z. Morgan, the scientists who had worked in Manhattan Project, to the United States where he carried out his research in nuclear power and reactor technology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory whereas he served as a director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

He served in several senior administrative positions in Pakistan. Usmani joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) since its foundation. While, dr. Nazir Ahmad was the first chairman of the commission; Usmani played an important role in the policy of the commission. In 1960, he became a chairman of the PAEC, and Usmani began to build man-power for the Pakistan's future atomic power plants. He introduces the scholarship program at the commission and send hundreds of scientists abroad. Usmani requested his life-long friends dr. Alvin Martin Weinberg and dr, Robert Charpi to allowed Pakistani students to carried out their research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). He also asked them to arrange an on-the-job training programme in nuclear science and engineering for a team of PAEC personnel. It was Salam and Usmani's effort to establishment a PAEC's premier nuclear research institute called the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH). Building a world-class research establishment also gave him the opportunity to exercise his abundant artistic talent. He took particular interest in creating a laboratory that was a masterpiece of architecture, first by choosing the world-famous Edward Durrell Stone as architect, and then by paying full attention to every detail in construction and furnishing of the facility.

Professor Abdus Salam was Usmani’s most trusted friend and advisor on science policy in the 1960s. He met with Salam when dr. Abdus Salam was the professor of Theoretical Physics at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. He provided the crucial support to Salam to established the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), and played a supportive role to make Abdus Salam as the Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. Salam and Usmani worked as a powerful team to obtain national and international support for the development of science and technology as fundamental to economic growth. It was Salam's advice to Usmani to established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Center at Lahore where he made dr. Ishfaq Ahmad as its director. Abdus Salam also helped Usmani to established the various atomic research centers such as Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) in Faisalabad, and the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in Islamabad.

Dr. I.H. Usmani conceived the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology as an architecturally inspiring edifice that would motivate scientists. Like many other Pakistani scientist, Usmani had worked closely with Abdus Salam on building nuclear power plants. 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^[3].

Usmani played a solid role in Pakistan's civil-purpose nuclear program. His contribution and efforts were involved in KANUPP, Pakistan's first civil-purpose nuclear power plant, in Karachi. Usmani carefully and painstakingly developed the country's atomic power program over the previous years. Though, he was invited by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's "Multan Meeting" where Prime minister lost no time to announce the PAEC's new chairman, Munir Ahmad Khan. After the meeting, he privately tried to have a converse with Bhutto to divert the decision of developing the atomic weapons. However, Prime Minister Bhutto patiently listened to him and declined his offer. Following the year, he was safely silenced. According to the Pakistan Defence Megazine, the megazine has concluded that Usmani had opposed the decision of developing nuclear weapons, he believed that because at the time Pakistan did not have the necessary infrastructure needed for such a technologically giant and ambitious project. Prime Minister Bhutto replaced him and promoted him as a status of Federal Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology.

Ishrat Usmani had deep interests in Pakistan's space program. He was put jointly in charge of Pakistan's space program with Abdus Salam. In 1960, Usmani and 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.

Since 1974 Dr. Usmani resigned from service in Pakistan, and his allegiance transferred to the United Nations when he took up an appointment with the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. In the early 1980s, Usmani worked for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation where he urged for peaceful use of nuclear technology. While there, he produced a brief investigative report on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Dr. Usmani served as Senior Energy Adviser to the United Nations in New York, remaining there until 1985. Usmani was also a member of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission where he helped Pakistan to pursue civil-purpose nuclear program until 1990. Usmani finally retired in 1991 and became a consultant of the New and Emerging Sciences and Technology (NEST).

Usmani is widely given credit of establishing Pakistan's civilian nuclear program. During 1960s, Usmani's effort was involved in Pakistan's quest to acquired nuclear technology as quickly as possible. He, along with his friend, Abdus Salam, traveled to United States where he led an agreement between Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission 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 construct Pakistan's first nuclear research institute PINSTECH. In 1965, he served as a board of governors of PINSTECH^[4].

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 inaugurated 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^[3].

Dr. Usmani died in Karachi on June 17, 1992. The occasion brought tears to the eyes of many scientists3 and reformers who regarded him with affection. In May of 1998, the Government of Pakistan belatedly recognized Usmani's vital services by awarding the Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-i-Imtiaz posthumously by the prime minister Nawaz Sharif when Pakistan conducted its first successful nuclear tests.

• R.Sherman (2000). "Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Pakistan Special Weapons Delivery Systems". Retrieved 2009-03-27.
• "SUPARCO – History". Retrieved 2009-03-27.
• "The New Board of Governors" (PDF). IAEA Bulletin. 5 (1): 32. 1963.
• Qureshi, Dr. I.H. (August 8, 2005). "Recollection from the early days of the PAEC". The Nucleus (journal). 42 (1–2). Nilore, Pakistan: Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH): 7–11. ISSN 0029-5698. Retrieved October 13, 2005. ((cite journal)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |unused_data= ignored (help)
• Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani

• Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
• International Atomic Energy Agency

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