Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood (or Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mehmood), (Born 1940^[1]; Urdu: سلطان بشیر الدین محمود), (SI), is a Pakistani nuclear engineer and Islamic-scholar educated in Lahore, West-Pakistan (now Pakistan) and Manchester, United Kingdom. A controversial figure, Bashiruddin Mahmood is widely popular in Pakistan's scientific and religious circles for his scientific interpretation and its relation to Quran.^[1] Mahmood, as an engineer, is an experienced atomic scientist and engineer who is known to largely contributed in the formative years of Pakistan's Nuclear Industry (PNI).^[1]

However, Mahmood is well known for his contacts and sympathies for Taliban which resulted in ending his engineering career at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). In 2001, Mahmood was apprehended by the FIA for his suspect connections to Taliban and its related splinter groups. Though, he has been released and cleared since 2002, but he is put out of public eye and currently living a quiet life in Islamabad. A nuclear engineer turned Islamic-scholar, Mahmood authored more than 15 books, all in English language, on the relationship between Islam and science.^[1]

Life and education

Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood was born in Amritsar, British Punjab, sometime in either 1940 or 1939.^[1] After the Indian partition independence of Pakistan in 1947, his parents escaped from pogroms and genocide in India^{[citation needed]} to West-Pakistan. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood's father, Chaudhry Sharif Khan, was a local village leader (Numberdar) and put all his income to educate his eldest son who stood first in his High school and stand in 3rd position in the Punjab Matric Board.^[1] The government awarded him the scholarship and his father sent him to Government College University (GCU) where he was enrolled in Department of Physics to study applied physics in 1958.^[1] However, after spending a semester, Mahmood made a transfer to the University of Engineering and Technology of Lahore (UET Lahore).^[1] At UET, Mahmood enrolled in Department of Electrical Engineering and Technology to study Electrical engineering. Mahmood studied with Parvez Butt at UET, and in 1962, Mahmood graduated with B.Eng. with Honors in Electrical Engineering from UET Lahore.^[1]

Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as an electrical engineer in 1964.^[1] He was sent to Electronics Division (ED) and was one of the pioneering member there.^[2] While in PAEC, Mahmood went to Army Recruiting Center (ARC) to join the Pakistan Army, and showed his willingness to participate in Indo-Pakistan 1965 September war, but was unable to volunteer. Dr. I. H. Usmani, Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, used his influence in the Government that prevented Mahmood to join the war.^[1] Instead, Usmani sent Mahmood to join the Nuclear Physics Group working under dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan.^[2]

In 1967, he went to the United Kingdom with a PAEC scholarship, and attended the University of Manchester, where he studied for his double masters degree in Nuclear Engineering and Control System Engineering. In 1969, he received his double M.Sc. in control system engineering and nuclear engineering in from University of Manchester.^[1] He, then, specialized and gained expertise in nuclear power engineering in 1969 from the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

In 1970, Mahmood came back to Pakistan where he joined PAEC.^[2] Before joining Pakistan's nuclear energy programme, Mahmood was trained at the Nuclear Engineering Division of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH). He was a distinguished member of Nuclear Physics Group (NPG) at PINSTECH, where he along with Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, Hafeez Qureshi and Dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan, studied and researched in the field of Nuclear Technology.^[2] During his master studies, Mehmood had read scientific reports of the "Manhattan Project" while receiving his training at the Birmingham University, where he also had an opportunity to discuss enrichment technology with scientists from South Africa, who were then exploring the jet-nozzel aerodynamic process of enrichment.^[3] During this time, South Africa was clandestinely building its nuclear programme, and South-Africa was in favor to use the aerodynamic nozzle enrichment techniques to produce weapons-grade material.^[3] As Mahmood was also interested in the process, a discussion was held on how to advanced this process and make more effective in order to make better efficient weaponized-fuel, suitable for the nuclear device.^[3]

He specialized in reactor technology from United Kingdom when he was offered post-graduate research by the Manchester University, and did extensive research at British Nuclear Power Industry.^[1] In 1970, Mahmood was promoted as Chief Engineer (CE) at the KANUPP-I, country's first commercial nuclear power plant, in Karachi with the support of his mentor, Dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan.^[1] Mehmood working in the KANUPP-I where he had developed a scientific instrument, the SBM probe to detect leaks in steam pipes, a problem that was affecting nuclear plants all over the world and is still used worldwide.^[1] At KANUPP-I, he also set up a laboratory to manufacture spare parts for the plant.^[4] According to his son, Mehmood, along with other scientists and engineers, eye-witnessed the Indo-Pak War of 1971, and had locked himself in his room where he cried for two days over the loss of East Pakistan.^[1]

He was one of the atomic scientists who attended the famous Multan meeting in 1972 where he has privileged to meet personally with Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.^[1] He was a close colleague of PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad Khan, and was one of the key atomic scientists who were working at the Kahuta Project, a highly confidential programme.^[1] The uranium route, the second route for the atomic bomb, was inducted under his guidance.^[1] While working on the uranium route, Mehmood took different approaches for the enriched uranium. After examining diffusion, gas-centrifuge, jet-nozzel and laser enrichment processes, Bashiruddin advocated the centrifuge route, as it was faster and economical.^[1] He then prepared a report for the development of a centrifuge enrichment plant that envisaged its completion by 1975.^[1] Within days a feasibility report was prepared and a project approval proforma called PC-1 finalised.^[1] Mehmood handed the report to Navy's Commander who submitted the report to Prime minister Secretariat. The project was to begin production in 1979. To maintain secrecy both the feasibility and the PC-1 were handwritten documents.^[3]

He is perhaps most famous for his part in the development of the Pakistan Nuclear Industry (PNI). In 1976, he joined hands with another nuclear scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan on the atomic weapon project, where he tried working on the centrifuge programme. Following 1974, after Dr. Qadeer Khan took over the uranium enrichment route from him as he was dissatisfied with Mehmood's progress. Now, back in PAEC, Mehmood went on sating up a pilot-uranium enrichment plant at PAEC. Mahmood built an extensive research infrastructure and laboratories at PAEC to produced its both LEU and HEU fuel.^[1] During 1980s, he was the project manager of the Khushab-I; he designed the plutonium based nuclear power plant, the Khushab Reactor, near Lahore, a heavy water reactor that produces plutonium and Tritium.^[1] After the reactor went critical in April 1998, Mahmood in an interview had said:"this reactor (which can produce enough plutonium for two to three nuclear weapons per year) Pakistan had "acquired the capability to produce . . . boosted thermonuclear weapons and hydrogen bombs."^[1]

Prior to 1991, he also designed and set up a nuclear fuel factory at the Punjab province. In 1996, he was promoted and subsequently became Director General of the Directorate for the Nuclear Power (DG NP).^[1] He held his position till 1999 until he resignation from PAEC. In 1998, following the country's nuclear tests (See Chagai-I and Chagai-II), Mehmood was honored and awarded the civilian decoration, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, in a colourful ceremony by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif.^[1]

Radical Politics and Ummah Tameer-e-Nau

After the Pakistan's atomic tests, Mehmood became an outspoken opponent of the Prime minister Nawaz Sharif's government, as he was against signing of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty by Pakistan.^[5] He also publicly opposed prime minister Sharif as the prime minister show some willingness to signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Due to his open-public protest, he was asked to resign from his position by the prime minister Sharif. Later, he was transferred to the Nuclear Engineering Division of PAEC. Mahmood opted for early retirement from PAEC in 1999 as he was transferred to a non-technical position by the Prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

After his early retirement, Mehmood is reported to be attended the Dr. Israr Ahmad's preaching classes and private sessions on a regular basis. Dr. Israr Ahmed, one of the most important Islamic figure in Pakistan, is believed to be played an important and influential role in his later life.^[6] Thereafter, he, along with his close retired PAEC scientists, founded the Ummah Tameer-e-Nau ("Reconstruction for the Islamic Community"), a Pakistani based Islamic charity active in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. The Ummah Tameer-e-Nau (UTN) focused on educational institutions, hospitals, demining operations, and Islamism.^[7]

In August 2001, Mahmood and one of his colleagues at Mahmood's Ummah Tameer-e-Nau charity met with Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in Afghanistan. "There is little doubt that Mahmood talked to the two Qaeda leaders about nuclear weapons, or that Al Qaeda desperately wanted the bomb", the New York Times reported.^[7]

2001 debriefing and detention

Mahmood was arrested in Lahore from his residence in the midnight of 19th October of 2001 by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency because of his suspected connections with the Taliban.^[8] George Tenet, then-Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), later described intelligence reports of his meeting with Al Qaeda as “frustratingly vague.” ^[7] He, however, told the FIA intelligence officials in very clear terms that he had nothing to do with the Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization and he was only working on humanitarian issues like food, health and education. Even though he was considered innocent and released on 22 December 2001 but was declared a terrorist by U.S. President George W. Bush in his televised address on 23 December 2001. Despite clear indications from CIA that he is not involved with any terrorist outfit.^{[1][verification needed]}

During his debriefing, his son Dr. Asim Mahmood, who's a family medicine doctor told ISI officials that: My father [Mahmood] did meet with Osama bin Laden and Osama Bin Laden seemed interested in that matter but my father only showed mild interest in the matter as he met him for food, water matter issues that he was sent there for official work.

Due to an immense public pressure from the Pakistani civil society, he was placed into house arrest in the late of December 2001 and has been strictly monitored closely by Government of Pakistan and Pakistani federal agencies. In the late of 2001, his family said that, he has been released from the intelligence agencies and placed into house arrest and is still not allowed to meet anyone. In 2006, Mahmood suffered a heart attack and underwent angioplasty in Islamabad. Pakistan's Government has placed him on the "Exit Control List (ECL)" in which he is not allowed to travel out of Pakistan and since his release, Mehmood has been out of the public eye and lives a very quiet life in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Dr. Bashir Syed, former president of the Association of Pakistani Scientists and Engineers of North America (APSENA), said: "I know both of these persons and can tell you there is not an iota of truth that both these respected scientists and friends will do anything to harm the interest of their own country.^[9]"

Mahmood-Hoodbhoy Debates

He has written over fifteen books, the most well-known being "The Mechanics Doomsday and Life After Death", which is an analysis of the events leading to doomsday in light of scientific theories and Quranic knowledge. However, his scientific arguments and theories have been challenged by some prominent scientists in Pakistan.

In 1988, Mehmood was invited through an invitation at the University of Islamabad to deliver a lecture on science. During his lecture at the university's "Physics Hall", he and several other academcians have debated on his book. While debating, a well known Pakistani nuclear physicist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood had an acrimonious public debate in 1988 at the University of Islamabad's Physics Hall.^[10][11] Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy had severely criticized Mr. Bashiruddin Mahmood's theories and the notion of Islamic science in general, calling it ludicrous science. ^[12] Mr. Bashiruddin Mahmood protested that Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy misrepresented his views. This is crossing all limits of decency, he wrote. But should one expect any honesty or decency from anti-Islamic sources? ^[12]

Some beliefs

In his writings and speeches, Mahmood has advocated sharing Pakistan's nuclear weapons technology with other Islamic nations which he believed would give rise to Muslim dominance in the world.^[13] He has also written a Tafseer of the Quran in English.

Mahmood is reported to be fascinated "with the role sunspots played in triggering the French and Russian Revolutions, World War II and assorted anticolonial uprisings."^[7][14] According to his book "Cosmology and Human Destiny",^[1] Mahmood argued that sunspots have influenced major human events, including the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and World War II. He concluded that governments across the world "are already being subjected to great emotional aggression under the catalytic effect of the abnormally high sunspot activity under which they are most likely to adapt aggression as the natural solution for their problems". In this book which was first published in 1998, he predicts that the period from 2007 to 2014 would be of great turmoil and destruction in the world. Other books written by him include a biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad titled "First and the Last", while his other books are focused more on the relation between Islam and science like Miraculous Quran, Life After Death and Doomsday, and Kitab-e-Zindagi (in Urdu).

One passage of the book reportedly states: "At the international level, terrorism will rule; and in this scenario use of mass destruction weapons cannot be ruled out. Millions, by 2002, may die through mass destruction weapons, hunger, disease, street violence, terrorist attacks, and suicide."

Mahmood's life-long friend, Parliamentarian Farhatullah Babar, who is currently serving as a spokesperson of President of Pakistan, while talking to media, said: Mahmood predicted in Cosmology and Human Destiny that "the year 2002 was likely to be a year of maximum sunspot activity. It means upheaval, particularly on the South Asia, with the possibility of nuclear exchanges."

Mahmood has published papers concerning djinni, which are described in the Qur'an as beings made of fire. He has proposed that djinni could be tapped to solve the energy crisis.^[8] I think that if we develop our souls, we can develop communication with them, Mr. Bashiruddin Mahmood said about djinni in The Wall Street Journal in an interview in 1998. Every new idea has its opponents, he added. But there is no reason for this controversy over Islam and science because there is no conflict between Islam and science. ^[12]

New York Times Comments

The New York Times has described Mahmood as "an autodidact intellectual with grand aspirations," and noted that "his colleagues began to wonder if Mahmood was mentally sound."^[7] Mahmood made it clear that he believed Pakistan’s bomb was “the property of the whole Ummah,” referring to the worldwide Muslim community. “This guy was our ultimate nightmare,” an American intelligence official told the Times in late 2001.^[7] US Institute of Historical biographies mentions him in their ‘Who is Who’ list and presented him a gold medal in 1998. He has also been awarded Gold Medal by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.^[1]

Quotes

In 2009, Mahmood described Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979) in a public television:

[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto] was a visionary leader, so sometimes he [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto] say such things which later prove to be prophetic.