15th Anniversary of Pakistan's Nuclear Tests at Chagai

[RiazHaq]

Unlike most western accounts of Pakistani nuclear program which begin and end with A.Q. Khan's network, Brig Feroz H. Khan's scholarly work "Eating Grass" offers an insider's account of the "The Making of The Pakistani Bomb".

The standard Western and Indian narrative has us believe that A.Q. Khan stole the uranium enrichment technology and built the Pakistani atom bomb, and then proliferated it to Iran, Libya and North Korea. To put it perspective, Feroz Khan explains that it takes at least 500 scientists and 1300 engineers with relevant training and skills to have a nuclear weapons program, according to a 1968 UN study. In a piece titled "Laser Isotope Enrichment-a new dimension to the nth country problem?", Dr. Robert L. Bledsoe writes as follows: "a United Nations study conservatively estimates that at least 500 scientists and 1300 engineers are needed to develop and maintain warhead production facilities, and an additional 19,000 personnel (more than 5000 of them scientists and engineers) are required to produce delivery vehicles of the intermediate ballistic missile variety".

In this interview, Feroz Khan discuses the challenges and the inherent complexity of what it takes to develop, build and operationalize a nuclear weapons arsenal with maximum deterrence value:

http://www.riazhaq.com/2013/03/eating-grass-making-of-pakistani-bomb.html

http://www.riazhaq.com/2013/02/silicon-valley-launch-of-eating-grass.html

 

[patriot_purdesi]

 

[modern.fakir]

Mashallah (bigsmile)...we the Pakistanis are absolutely proud of this achievement and wish men and women working for this cause our heartfelt felicitations on this momentus occasion.

Pakistan Armed Forces humesha Zindabad !:)

 

[Lil'Genius]

All credits goes to Bhutto, patriotic scientists and our committed Army leadership. Thanks to our nation also for bearing the burden of Nuclear technology.

Long Live Pakistan,
Long Live Pakistan Army,

 

[RiazHaq]

There are many, including Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, who have claimed credit for Pak nuclear program.

Among the scientists, Prof Rafi Chaudhry and Dr. Ishrat Husain Usmani, both graduates of Aligarh University who later studied in England under Nobel Laureates, were the fathers of nuclear technology in Pakistan in 1950s and 1960s. Then came Dr. Munir Ahmad Khan and Dr. A.Q. Khan who took it to fruition.

Among the political and military leaders, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto started the nuclear weapons program in 1970s and Zia ul Haq continued to support it in 1980s. After Zia's death, it was Ghulam Ishaq Khan who took care of it and then passed it on the military when he resigned in 1990s. So ZAB, Zia, GIK and Pakistan Army all deserve credit for it.

 

[RiazHaq]

Energy crises can and do occur in emerging nations with or without nukes. In fact, it the growing demand for electricity by an expanding middle class that is resulting in energy shortages. It's a government policy failure that can and will be corrected. That's what the people just elected a new leadership for.

Pakistan's installed generating capacity is about 20,000 MW. It exceeds current demand of 17,000 MW and actual supply of just 10,000 MW. The capacity utilization is only 50%mainly because the producers do not buy sufficient fuel and choose to operate at only 50% of capacity and still enjoy soaring profits. The current IPP contracts guarantee payments and profits with no requirement for fuel efficiency.

Most private investors have built oil-powered inefficient plants because of their low construction costs and short lead times, and the oil price has skyrocketed since these plants were built in 1990s. The result is 18-20 hours of load shedding across most of Pakistan in the scorching summer heat in spite of the fact the taxpayers have shelled outbillions of dollars in subsidies to the power sector since 2008.

http://www.riazhaq.com/2013/05/pakistanis-suffer-load-shedding-as.html

 

[miafridi]

Whoever made it. One thing is for sure. Pakistan is a nuclear power. So happy Anniversary.

 

[RiazHaq]

The key to solving the electricity load shedding problem is to renegotiate the old IPP contracts with new terms that reward lower fuel costs and higher efficiency. In addition to that, Pakistan's incoming government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's has to explore multiple fuel options to meet the nation's growing energy needs. Some of the fuel options are as follows:


1. Developing its shale gas reserves estimated 51 trillion cubic feet near Karachi in southern Sindh province. The US experience has shown that investment in shale gas can increase production quite rapidly and prices brought down from about $12 per mmBTU in 2008 to under $2 per mmBTU recently. Pursuing this option requires US technical expertise and significant foreign investment on an accelerated schedule.


2. Increasing production of gas from nearly 30 trillion cubic feet of remaining conventional gas reserves. This, too, requires significant investment on an accelerated schedule.


3. Converting some of the idle power generation capacity from oil and gas to imported coal to make electricity more available and affordable.


4. Utilizing Pakistan's vast coal reserves in Sindh's Thar desert.


5. Hydroelectric and other renewables including wind and solar. Several of these projects are funded and underway but it'll take a while to bring them online to make a difference.


In my view, the newly-elected government should pursue all of the above options with options 1, 2 and 3 as a priority for now. Its best interests will be served by developing its own cheap domestic shale gas on an accelerated schedule with Saudi investment and US tech know-how.


http://www.riazhaq.com/2013/05/pakistanis-suffer-load-shedding-as.html

 

[Imranpak]

It's these nukes that have prevented and open invasion of Pakistan. Without them we would be Iraq or Palestine, make no mistake about that.

 

[RiazHaq]

Is Nawaz Sharif a graceful victor? Does this have echoes of Jaag Punjabi Jaag?

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif says people of Punjab have voted on rational basis while of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa have voted on emotional basis.

He was addressing his party workers in a ceremony to commemorate atomic explosions carried out by Pakistan on May 28, 1998 during Sharif’s previous tenure....

http://www.thenewstribe.com/2013/05...ted-on-emotional-and-punjab-on-logical-basis/