Pakistan - Nuclear Chronology

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Pakistan - Nuclear Chronology

1953-1970

8 December 1953
U.S. President Eisenhower announces the 'Atoms for Peace' proposal to the United Nations in which he declares U.S. willingness to expedite sharing of peaceful uses of nuclear power with other countries. The Pakistani press welcomes the proposed peaceful use of atomic energy and foreign minister Zarullah Khan states that Pakistan does not have a policy towards the atom bomb.
--"Atoms for Peace: Eisenhower UN Speech," The Eisenhower Institute, 8 December 1953, http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/programs/ globalpartnerships/ safeguarding/atomsspeech.htm, (July 2005); Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p. 34.

October 1954
Pakistan announces plans for the establishment of an atomic research body as part of a new organization for scientific and industrial research in Pakistan.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p.35.

1954
The Government College at Lahore establishes the High Tension & Nuclear Research Laboratory to provide research facilities in nuclear physics for graduate and post-graduate students.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p. 36.

January 1955
The Pakistani government forms a 12-member Atomic Energy Committee chaired by Dr. Nazir Ahmed. The committee is asked to: formulate an atomic energy program; identify personnel requirements; and plan a survey of radioactive materials relevant to atomic energy research in Pakistan; and advise the government on any other matter pertaining to the peaceful uses of atomic energy.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p.35.

8-20 August 1955
Pakistani government representatives at the first International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva discuss Pakistan's requirements for nuclear sources of energy.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p.36.

11 August 1955
Pakistan and the United States sign an agreement on cooperation concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Under the agreement, the United States offers Pakistan $350,000 in aid to procure a pool type reactor.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.22.

March 1956
Pakistan announces the formation of an Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The commission has two parts: the Atomic Energy Council comprising of two ministers and two secretaries from the federal government and the chairman of the AEC; and the commission itself comprising of the chairman of the AEC and six other scientists.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p. 35.

1956
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) plans, "peaceful uses of atomic energy with special reference to survey, procurement, and disposal of radioactive materials; planning and establishment of atomic energy and nuclear research institute, installation of research and power reactors, negotiation with international atomic energy bodies, selection and training of personnel, application of radio-isotopes to agriculture, health, industry etc."
--Dr. Nasir Ahmed, "The Atomic Energy Commission," Pakistan Quarterly, vol. VII, no. 3, Autumn 1957; cited in, Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p. 36.

1957
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) completes a technical evaluation report and drafts proposals for the acquisition of the U.S. CP5-type research reactor from the United States. However, the PAEC's proposal is vetoed by the departments of finance and industry.
[1.The United States was unwilling to supply Pakistan with a CP5-type of research reactor, which ran on heavy water and offered a light water reactor instead]
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), pp. 38-39, 42.

1955-1959
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) keeps the supply of the U.S. pool-type reactor pending until 1958. During the intervening yeas, the PAEC board lobbies the finance ministry to allocate resources for the import of a research reactor of the CP-5 type in operation at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago; or of the NRX type from Canada. However, the finance ministry rejects PAEC's requests on fiscal grounds.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.23.

March 1958
PAEC Chairman Dr. Nazir Ahmad makes a proposal to the chairman of Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) for setting up a heavy water plant with a production capacity of 50kg of heavy water per day at Multan, in conjunction with a planned fertilizer factory. However, the PIDC does not act on the PAEC's proposal.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.24.

1958
PAEC Chairman Dr. Nazir Ahmad complains that the acquisition of the proposed research reactor has been delayed because "considerations of a non-technical nature were allowed to creep in..." Ahmad also makes a pointed critique of the problem of "red tape" in Pakistan and demands that the PAEC be granted administrative and financial powers to be able to carry out its objectives.
--Ashok Kapur, "1953-59: The Origins and Early History of Pakistani Nuclear Activities," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), pp. 38-39.

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March 1959
The PAEC accepts the government's decision to install a pool-type reactor with regret.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.23.

1959
Dr. I.H. Usmani succeeds Dr. Nazir Ahmed as chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Under Usmani's tenure, the PAEC focused attention on: training and research infrastructure; acquisition of a research reactor; developing a nuclear power program; gaining international recognition for Pakistan's nuclear establishment; and seeking international cooperation for training and nuclear technology supplies.
--Ashok Kapur, "Dr. Usmani Takes Over, 1960-71," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), p. 53, 70-71.

1963
Pakistan begins operation of the 5MW research nuclear reactor at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Research (PINSTECH). The research reactor facilitates research in the fields of agriculture, industry, medicine, and science and technology.
--"Pakistan Makes Achievements in Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 27 October 1979; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 October 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

5 January 1964
Pakistan's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approves a project to build a 137MW nuclear power plant at Karachi with Canadian assistance.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.24

January 1964-May 1965
Negotiations over the sale of the nuclear power plant from Canada stall over the question of inspections. Canada insists that the 137MW power plant be subject to inspections. However, the Pakistani foreign office insists the plant not be subject to inspections; and that Canada supply the plant on terms similar to those India obtained from Canada. However, Canadian negotiators insist that Pakistan must accept safeguards so long as it obtains the reactors as part of a Canadian government aid package. However, the inspections clause could be dropped if Pakistan paid for the reactors out of its own resources. The Pakistani foreign office ultimately accepts the Canadian argument. During negotiations for the reactor sale, PAEC also makes proposals for the setting up of a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, a heavy water plant, and a reprocessing facility. However, PAEC's proposals do not meet favor within the Pakistani government and are shelved.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.25.

May 1965
The Canadian General Electric Company (CGE) signs a contract with the Pakistani government to build a 137MW heavy water nuclear power reactor on a turnkey basis at Karachi. The Canadian government offers Pakistan a soft loan of $33 million and a supplier credit of $24 million to finance the project.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.24.

1967
Pakistan produces the first batch of radioisotopes at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH).
--"Pakistan Produces Radio-Isotopes," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 20 September 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 September 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis "Pakistan Makes Achievements in Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 27 October 1979; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 October 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1960-1967
Pakistan sends 600 scientists and engineers abroad for training in the field of nuclear sciences; of these, 106 return with doctorates.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.19.

1960s
Some foreign ministry officials propose that Pakistan request the purchase of a nuclear fuel processing facility from France. However, suggestions for a processing facility are overruled by foreign secretary Mohammad Yusuf.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 21.

1960s
Pakistani nuclear scientists Dr. Usmani and Dr. Salam urge the government to acquire a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility after India's example. However, their request is denied by finance minister Mohammad Shoab.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 21.

Late 1960s
The French nuclear engineering firm Société Générale pour les Techniques Nouvelles (SGN) offers to supply a 100-ton nuclear fuel reprocessing plant to PAEC. However, the proposal is met with disfavor within the Pakistani government and not pursued.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.31.

1969
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA) agrees to supply a downscaled version of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in operation at Windscale in Britain to Pakistan. The proposed plant has the capacity for extracting 360g of weapons-grade plutonium annually. Subsequently, five Pakistani nuclear scientists: Dr. S.M. Bhutta, M.T. Ahmad, Abdul Majid, Dr. Mohammad Afzal, and Dr. Ehsan Mubarak are sent to Britain for training. The Pakistani scientists recommend to PAEC that instead of obtaining the entire plant from Britain on a turnkey basis, Pakistan should purchase key parts and manufacture other parts indigenously. The scientists also believe that it would be possible to upgrade the plant indigenously to produce weapons-grade plutonium.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 35-36.

1964-70
Citing Indian advances in nuclear fuel reprocessing and Pakistan's defeat in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Pakistan foreign office and foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto lobby for a nuclear weapons option. However, Bhutto and the foreign office are successfully opposed by a counter coalition comprising of PAEC, the Ministry of Finance, and President Ayub Khan. PAEC makes no attempt to acquire facilities for a nuclear fuel cycle that can provide the technical basis for a nuclear weapons program.
--Ashok Kapur, "Dr. Usmani Takes Over, 1960-71," Pakistan's Nuclear Development, (New York: Croom Helm, 1987), pp.77-87.
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1970-1974


6 March 1970
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) comes into effect as the United States, USSR, and the Great Britain deposit the instruments of ratification. Pakistan does not sign the NPT.
--Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 6 March 1970; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 March 1970, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1970
Pakistan builds a pilot-scale plant at Dera Ghazi Khan for the concentration of uranium ores. The plant has a capacity of 10,000 pounds a day.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Roses do not grow in D.G. Khan," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 69.

20 December 1971
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assumes power in Pakistan. As a first step in the direction of institution of a nuclear weapons program, Bhutto tasks Munir Ahmad Khan, currently on a stint at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, to prepare a report on Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto, A Man in Hurry for the Bomb," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 16-17.


20 January 1972
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto holds a meeting with senior Pakistani nuclear scientists to discuss the possibility of embarking on a nuclear weapons program. The meeting is held at the residence of the Punjab Chief Minister Nawab Sadiq Qureshi in Multan. Key invitees include scientists from the Pakistan Institute for Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH), the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Government College, Lahore, and the Defense Science & Technology Organization (DESTO). Nobel laureate and former scientific advisor to the Pakistani government Dr. Abdus Salam also attends the meeting. During the meeting, several scientists enthusiastically support the idea of a nuclear weapons program. Bhutto endorses the idea and promises that his government will spare "no facilities and finances" for a weapons program. He also demands that the scientists produce a fission device within three years. Toward the end of the meeting, Bhutto announces that Munir Ahmad Khan will replace Dr. Usmani as Chairman of the PAEC.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Z.A. Bhutto," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 17-18.

Late April-Early May 1972
Pakistani metallurgist Dr. A. Q. Khan takes up a job with the specialized Dutch engineering company - Physical Dynamics Laboratory or FDO at its metallurgical section in the Dutch town of Almelo. FDO is a subsidiary of the major Dutch company Verenigde Machine-Fabrieken and is a consultant and subcontractor for the ultracentrifuge process being developed by Britain, West Germany, and Netherlands to enrich uranium. The Dutch secret service - BVD - runs a cursory background check on Khan and grants him a security clearance, "secret inclusive."
--Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, "The Kindly Dr. Khan," The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), pp. 176-177.

8-9 May 1972
Khan visits the FDO plant a week after he starts work to begin familiarizing himself with work and security procedures at URENCO, the consortium working on the ultracentrifuge process.
--Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, "The Kindly Dr. Khan," The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p.178.

October 1972
Two Pakistani nuclear scientists, Dr. Riazuddin and Dr. Masud temporarily working at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, return to Pakistan to begin theoretical work on a fission explosive device. The duo are posted at Quaid-e-Azam University and the Pakistan Institute for Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH) respectively. In the absence of the availability of computers, they use the mainframe computers at Quaid-e-Azam University for work related to the theoretical physics of a nuclear explosive device.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp.38-39.

1972
Pakistan begins operation of the 137,000-kilowatt Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP). The plant is expected to supply 25 percent of Karachi's power requirements.
--"Pakistan Makes Achievements in Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 27 October 1979; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 October 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1972
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) abandons plans to obtain a downgraded nuclear reprocessing facility from Britain and opens negotiations with Belgian and French nuclear companies for assistance in setting up nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, with the objective of pursuing the plutonium route for a nuclear weapons program.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 30.

March 1973
A team of three Pakistani nuclear scientists and engineers comprising of Khalil Qureshi, Zafarullah, and Abdul Majid is sent to the headquarters of the Belgonucleaire at Mol to participate in the designing of a pilot nuclear fuel reprocessing facility as well as gain training in reprocessing spent fuel. Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Munir Ahmad Khan favors the Belgian pilot reprocessing plant over the British facility on grounds that it would be difficult for Pakistan to upgrade the downgraded reprocessing plant on offer from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA).
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 36-37.

27 December 1973
Dr Munir Ahmad Khan, head of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), announces that large uranium deposits have been discovered in southern Punjab province.
He also announces an ambitious plan to construct 15 new nuclear reactors in the next 25 years to meet two-thirds of Pakistan's power requirements.
--Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 27 December 1973; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 December 1973, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

December 1973
Pakistani scientists elect to develop elect to develop an 'implosion' over the 'gun' type of nuclear fission device citing economy in the use of fissile material. Subsequently Dr. Zaman Shaikh, an explosives expert at the Defense Science Laboratories, is tasked with developing explosive lenses for the proposed device.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.40.

1973
Dr. Riazuddin travels to the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, after which he proceeds to the United States to obtain open-source information on the 'Manhattan Project' from the Library of Congress and the National Information Center, Maryland. After his return from the United States, Riazuddin is inducted into the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) as member (technical).

[1] Dr. Riazuddin later discloses that he worked as part of the team that worked on designs for Pakistan's nuclear explosive device. As he explained, "we were the designers of the bomb, like the tailor who tells you how much of the material is required to stitch a suit. We had to identify the fissile material, whether to use plutonium or...enriched uranium, which method of detonation, which explosive, which type of tampers and lenses to use, how material will be compressed, how shock waves will be created, what would be the yield." Riazuddin also discloses that since Pakistan found it difficult to manufacture beryllium reflectors, the first nuclear explosive device designed by the 'Theoretical Group' used Uranium-238 as a reflector.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp.39-40.

18 January 1974
Canada provides line of credit to Pakistan for flood relief activities as well for the maintenance of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP).
-- Information Bank Abstracts, Wall Street Journal, 18 January 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 18 January 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

25 March 1974
Senior Pakistani nuclear scientists Dr. Salam, Munir Ahmad Khan, Dr. Riazuddin, and Hafeez Qureshi convene a meeting with the head of the Pakistan Ordnance Factory at Wah cantonment, Lt. General Qamar Ali Mirza, to set up a plant to manufacture His Majesty's Explosive (HMX) for use in the explosive lenses of the proposed implosion-design fission device. The project is codenamed "Research."
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "A Tale of Two Scientists," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.41.

March 1974
Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Munir Ahmed Khan constitutes a small team of scientists, physicists, and engineers to begin work on a nuclear explosive device. The team's office is located at Wah near Rawalpindi; and because of its location comes to be referred to as the "Wah Group." The Wah Group begins research on conventional explosives used to trigger a nuclear fission device.
1. Original team members included Hafeez Qureshi, head of Radiation and Isotope Applications Division, Pakistan Institute of Science & Technology (PINSTECH) and Dr. Zaman Sheikh, Defense Science & Technology Organization (DESTO). The group was later expanded to include chemical, mechanical, explosive, and precision engineers.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Pakistan's Finest Hour," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 3-4.

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April 1974
Pakistan signs a contract with France for the supply of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The plant is to be constructed at Chashma on the banks of Indus River.
--"Ban this Bomb-To-Be," Economist, 14 April 1974, World Politics and Current Affairs, International, pg. 56; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 April 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis

18 May 1974
India conducts a Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE). Following India's test, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto meets with senior Pakistani officials to discuss the implications of India's nuclear tests. A statement by the Pakistani foreign ministry, released after the meeting, states that India's pronouncements of peaceful intentions do not satisfy Pakistan's security concerns. The statement also notes that nuclear programs often incorporate both peaceful and military ends.
-- Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 19 May 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 19 May 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis

19 May 1974
In a news conference, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto indicates that Pakistan will not be threatened by India's 'nuclear blackmail.' Bhutto also indicates that Pakistan will not alter its current policies.
-- Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 20 May 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 May 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

7 June 1974
Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto says that India's nuclear program is designed to intimidate Pakistan and establish "hegemony in the subcontinent"; and Pakistan will develop a nuclear program in response to India's nuclear testing of an atomic device. However, Bhutto insists that Pakistan's program will be limited to peaceful purposes.
-- Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 8 June 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 June 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

5 July 1974
U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) officials predict that about two dozen nations could acquire nuclear weapons over the next decade. According to ACDA officials, countries within immediate reach of acquiring nuclear weapons capability are Pakistan, Japan, West Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and South Korea. Other potential proliferant states include South Africa and Italy.
--John W. Finney, Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 5 July 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 5 July 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

4 September 1974
In a secret memorandum titled "Prospects of Further Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) predicts that Pakistan will require at least 10 years to carry out a nuclear weapons development program.
--AP, 27 January 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

17 September 1974
Abdul Qadeer Khan writes a letter to Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto through the Pakistani ambassador in Belgium explaining his expertise in centrifuge-based uranium enrichment technologies at URENCO in Belgium. Khan offers help and urges the prime minister to take the uranium route to a nuclear weapons program. Bhutto responds favorably to Khan's suggestion and directs the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Munir Ahmad Khan to meet A.Q. Khan.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p.47.

18 September 1974
In an address at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference in Vienna, the head of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Dr Munir Ahmad Khan says that Pakistan will ask the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to declare the South Asian subcontinent to be a nuclear-weapons free zone.
-- Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 18 September 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 18 September 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

14 October 1974
Pakistan's Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto says that restarting U.S. arms shipments will decrease Pakistan's propensity to develop nuclear weapons. Bhutto further states that Pakistan does not want to spend its limited resources on developing nuclear weapons.
--Bernard Weinraub, Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 14 October 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 October 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

October 1974
The Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Munir Ahmad Khan directs Bashiruddin Mahmood to prepare a feasibility report on the proposed uranium enrichment program.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 48.

21 November 1974
The UN General Assembly approves a Pakistani proposal to create a nuclear weapons free zone in South Asia. The proposal passes by a vote of 82-2. India and Bhutan vote against the proposal.
--Kathleen Teltsch, Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 21 November 1974; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 21 November 1974, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

Late 1974
Dr. A. Q. Khan begins working with the Pakistani government to help develop plans for setting up an ultracentrifuge uranium enrichment plant. In the fall of 1974, Khan translates secret German documents on a technical breakthrough concerning the ultracentrifuge uranium enrichment process for the FDO.
1. It is suspected that Khan shared this classified information with the Pakistani government.
--Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, "The Kindly Dr. Khan," The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), pp. 178.

November 1974
After studying the various technical approaches to enriching uranium, Bashiruddin Mahmood recommends that Pakistan build a uranium enrichment facility based on centrifuge technology. Mahmood's report envisages the completion of the facility by 1979.
--Shahid-ur-Rehman, "Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success," Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 50.

1974
Pakistan and Libya sign a 10-year cooperation agreement.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.
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1975-1977

6 February 1975
US President Ford indicates to Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that his administration will give ‘active consideration’ to the lifting of the 10-year arms embargo against Pakistan. In response, Prime Minister Bhutto states that he will place Pakistan’s nuclear reactors under international safeguards if the United States provides sufficient conventional arms that meet Pakistan’s requirements.
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 6 February 1975; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 February 1975, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

15 February 1975
Dr. Munir Ahmed Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has a meeting with Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Khan seeks the government’s approval for a $450 million nuclear weapons program that involves (a) the building of a centrifuge plant for the enrichment of uranium; (b) the development of a uranium mine at Baghalchor in Dera Ghazi Khan (BC-1); and (c) the inception of a nuclear weapons design program led by Dr. Riazuddin of the PAEC. Khan obtains the government’s approval and the uranium enrichment program is formally launched under the name ‘Directorate of Industrial Liaison’ in a barrack at Chaklala airport under the leadership of Dr. Bashiruddin Mahmood.
—Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 50.

9 April 1975
The Director of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), Fred C. Ikle, warns that several countries are pursuing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Ikle warns that such countries are acquiring the means to produce nuclear weapons under the guise of obtaining nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Although Ikle does not reveal the names of countries believed to be pursuing nuclear weapons, the New York Times claims that it has has learned from “authoritative” sources that the list includes Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Israel, Taiwan, and South Korea.
—“Ikle Warns Against Nuclear Spread,” Facts on File World News Digest, 12 April 1975; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 February 1975, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

July 1975
Pakistani nuclear scientist S.A. Butt is appointed to the Pakistani embassy in the Netherlands. Later Butt is shifted to Paris where he becomes the Pakistani government’s chief purchasing agent in Europe for uranium and plutonium enrichment technologies. Butt was one of the scientists who attended the January 1972 meeting that Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto called to discuss the possibility of Pakistan developing a nuclear bomb.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 182.

August 1975
Pakistan begins exploring the uranium enrichment route through the centrifuge process in its pursuit of fissile material. One early indication of this comes when the Pakistani embassy in Brussels queries a Dutch company about the possible purchase of high-frequency transformers or inverters.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 181.

October 1975
Dr. A.Q. Khan asks one of his colleagues at FDO to photograph drawings of ultracentrifuges that he had at home. The suspicious colleague declines and reports the incident. In response, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs asks FDO to shift Khan to a less sensitive position where he would not have access to documents related to the ultracentrifuge project.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 180.

Fall 1975
Dr. A. Q. Khan is tasked to translate sensitive documents concerning a German technical breakthrough in the ultracentrifuge uranium enrichment process from German into Dutch. For this purpose Khan spends 16 days at URENCO’s facility in the town of Almelo. Security arrangements at the facility are lax and a colleague later reports as having seen Khan making notes at his desk in a foreign script. Khan also uses the opportunity to repeatedly tour the Almelo plant.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), pp. 179-80.

Fall 1975
Dr. A. Q. Khan uses S. A. Butt at the Pakistani embassy in Netherlands as a conduit for supplying centrifuge-related technical literature, blueprints, plans for plant design, and lists of equipment and material suppliers to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
—Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 51.

15 December 1975
Dr. A.Q. Khan returns to Pakistan with his wife Henny and their two daughters. He subsequently informs FDO of his intention to stay on in Pakistan and resigns his position at FDO. The resignation takes effect on 1 March 1976.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 180.

Late 1975
Pakistan secretly launches Project 706 (according to another source – Project 726) to produce enriched uranium using the centrifuge enrichment process. The project involves the construction of a pilot facility at Sihala, to be followed by the construction of an industrial-scale plant housing 10,000 centrifuges at the village of Kahuta. Dr. A.Q. Khan takes charge of the new Engineering Research Laboratory (ERL), which is tasked with designing the centrifuges for the proposed facilities. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) led by Dr. Munir Ahmed Khan is given overall charge of the project, while the military’s Special Works Commission is asked to help with purchases from abroad and construction of the top-secret facilities.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 182; Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 56.

1976
The Pakistani government approves a plan to build a reprocessing plant and eight nuclear power plants at the Chashma site on the Indus River in Mianwali district. According to plan projections the first nuclear power plant will be commissioned by 1982.
—“Pakistan Plans to Spend $56 million during the Current Fiscal Year,” Nucleonics Week, 2 July 1981, Vol. 22, No. 26, Pg. 5; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 2 July 1981, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

23 February 1976
In a testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Director Fred C. Ikle reveals that the United States and six major industrialized nations have agreed to develop new safeguards and place restrictions on the export of nuclear facilities. Ikle does not provide the names of the countries that have agreed to such controls; but the countries are believed to be the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Canada, West Germany, and Japan. He also mentions that the United States is making efforts to persuade Pakistan to abandon its efforts to purchase a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant from France. According to Ikle, Pakistan’s intentions for purchasing the reprocessing plant is to produce nuclear weapons.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 24 February 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 24 February 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

[Neo]

26 February 1976
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto meets with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and refuses to accept Canada’s directions on the use of the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant that Pakistan is planning to buy from France. Canada insists on implementing stringent safeguards on the Karachi power reactor, but Bhutto refuses to accept Canada’s proposals. Canadian officials are concerned that the spent nuclear fuel from the Canadian built nuclear reactor in Karachi will be used to run the reprocessing plant and produce Plutonium for nuclear weapons. Bhutto contends that Pakistan is not interested in acquiring nuclear explosives. Bhutto further contends that the deal between France and Pakistan to buy a reprocessing plant has been approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 26 February 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 26 February 1976, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; “Canadian Nuclear Talks Suspended,” Facts on File World News Digest, New York Times, 6 March 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 March 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

27 February 1976
Canadian officials state that Pakistan has promised not to divert spent fuel from the Canadian supplied power reactor in Karachi. The officials also indicate that either side can withdraw from the agreement on six months notice. Canadian officials have expressed skepticism over Pakistan’s desire to purchase a spent fuel reprocessing plant from France and suspect that Pakistan will attempt to divert spent fuel from the Canadian supplied power reactor at Karachi.
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 27 February 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 February 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

19 April 1976
Dr. A.Q. Khan addresses a letter to the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Munir Ahmad Khan expressing his impatience with the slow pace of the centrifuge-based uranium enrichment project. A few days letter he writes a similar letter to Prime Minister Bhutto threatening to resign his position.
—Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), pp. 51-52.

April 1976
During a private meeting with Prime Minister Bhutto, Dr. A.Q. Khan threatens to quit if he is not given formal charge of the uranium enrichment project. In response, Bhutto appoints a committee comprising of A.G.N. Kazi (Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission), Ghulam Ishaq (Defense Secretary), and Agha Shahi (Foreign Secretary) to resolve the matter. The committee rules in favor of giving Dr. A.Q. Khan formal charge of the uranium enrichment project. However, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is allowed to continue with the plutonium fuel project independently.
—Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), p. 52.

2 March 1976
Canada’s External Affairs Minister Allan Maceachen announces the suspension of weeklong talks with Pakistan on the supply of fuel for the Canadian supplied power reactor in Karachi. The talks were initiated during the visit to Canada by Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
— “Canadian Nuclear Talks Suspended,” Facts on File World News Digest, 6 March 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 March 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

March 1976
Pakistan signs a contract with France for the sale of a nuclear fuel-reprocessing plant.
—Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, “Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking,” Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

17 July 1976
Dr. A.Q. Khan takes formal charge from Dr. Bashiruddin Mahmood of the Engineering Research Laboratory (ERL), the entity instituted to develop centrifuge technology for enriching uranium. ERL is instituted as an independent organization with a three member board comprising of A.G.N. Kazi, Ghulam Ishaq, and Agha Shahi.
—Shahid-ur-Rehman, “Dr. A.Q. Khan: Nothing Succeeds Like Success,” Long Road To Chagai, (Islamabad: 1999, Print Wise Publication), 53.

8-9 August 1976
The United States offers to sell 110 Vought A-7 attack aircraft to Pakistan if it agrees to abandon its efforts to purchase a nuclear reactor from France. The first batch of the attack aircraft is expected to be delivered in 1978-1979.
—Aviation Week & Space Technology, 30 August 1976, Industry Observer, Pg. 11; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 30 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

9 August 1976
The French foreign minister informs US charge d’affaires Sam Gammon of France’s displeasure over US efforts to hinder the sale of a fuel reprocessing plant to Pakistan. The French foreign minister also indicates that France will proceed with the sale of the reprocessing plant. French foreign ministry officials reveal that the sale of the reprocessing plant was approved on 18 March under an agreement reached between France, Pakistan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The French government releases a statement indicating that it is in compliance with all international agreements regarding the sale, including an agreement with the IAEA to ensure that the plant is only used for peaceful activities.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 10 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 10 August 1976, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; “U.S., Pakistan Discuss French A-Plant,” Facts on File World News Digest, 14 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

9 August 1976
Addressing a news conference in Lahore, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger announces a compromise formula that seeks to avoid confrontation between the United States and Pakistan over Pakistan’s attempts to obtain a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant from France. According to the compromise formula, Pakistan would not be able to divert nuclear material for building nuclear weapons. Mr. Kissinger suggests that an agreement between France and Pakistan that would give France power to veto any plans by Pakistan to divert the nuclear fuel for atomic explosives. Mr. Kissinger also says that the United States will block the sale of 100 A-7 Corsair jet-fighter bombers until Pakistan reaches an agreement with France over the fuel reprocessing plant.
—Bernard Gwertzman, Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 10 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 10 August 1976, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; “U.S., Pakistan Discuss French A-Plant,” Facts on File World News Digest, 14 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis

11 August 1976
US Charge d’Affaires in Paris Sam Gammon meets US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. After the meeting, Mr. Gammon informs the French Foreign Office Secretary General Francois de Laboulaye that the United States wishes to work out a safeguards agreement for the reprocessing plant that France is planning to supply to Pakistan.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 11 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 11 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

[Neo]

11 August 1976
In an interview with Radio Luxemburg, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto says that Pakistan will proceed with the purchase of the French nuclear equipment despite objections from the United States.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 11 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 11 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

12 August 1976
French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac rejects proposals for talks between France, Pakistan, and the United States over the sale of a French fuel reprocessing plant to Pakistan. Mr. Chirac states that only France and Pakistan must be involved in the issue. US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger states that the United States is only interested in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 12 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 12 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

26 August 1976
The French cabinet indicates its intention to proceed with the sale of the nuclear reprocessing plant to Pakistan despite objections raised by the United States.
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 26 August 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 26 August 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

13 October 1976
France reaffirms its decision to supply Pakistan with the nuclear reprocessing plant despite its recent assertions to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 13 October 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 13 October 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

November 1976
France is unlikely to proceed with the supply of the nuclear reprocessing plant to Pakistan. The change in position is caused by US opposition to the deal and the recent announcement by the Canadian Secretary Donald C. Jamieson that Canada will not supply Pakistan with fuel for its power reactor if France supplies Pakistan with the reprocessing plant. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Aziz Ahmed and the French Foreign Minister Louis de Guiringauld meet in Paris to discuss the issue. France also sends an envoy to Pakistan to discuss the sale of the reprocessing plant.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 12 November 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 12 November 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

November 1976
Albrecht Migule, owner of the West German firm Ces Kalthof, signs a $2 million deal with a Pakistani textile firm to supply a fluoride plant.
—“German Firm Cited in Case Involving Sale of Fluoride Conversion Plant to Pakistan,” Nuclear Fuel, 20 July 1981, Vol. 6, No. 15, Pg. 3; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 July 1981, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

17 November 1976
The US Defense Department agrees to the sale of 110 A7 attack planes to Pakistan. The deal is worth $700 million and includes training for Pakistani pilots and supply of spare parts. The deal must be approved by Congress and the State Department. The State Department’s approval is contingent on Pakistan’s abandonment of it’s plans to acquire a nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant from France.
— Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 17 November 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 17 November 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

16 December 1976
The French Nuclear Export Council, chaired by President Giscard d’Estaing, states that France will not supply any fuel reprocessing plants in the future. The decision is taken to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. According to the French Nuclear Export Council, the sale of the reprocessing plant to Pakistan will be completed as planned. French officials, however, indicate their willingness to cancel the deal, but refrain from doing so owing to domestic political pressure. French officials indicate that France would be happy if Pakistan decides to cancel the contract. The French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing is hopeful that Pakistan will cancel the agreement.
—Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 17 December 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 17 December 1976, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 31 December 1976; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 31 December 1976, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

23 December 1976
Canada suspends its nuclear cooperation agreement with Pakistan and indicates that it will not supply uranium for the reactor at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP).
—“Pakistan Sticks to French Nuclear Deal,” Washington Post, 4 January 1977, First Section, A9; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 4 January 1977, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; Milton R. Benjamin, “Pakistan Says France Killing Controversial Nuclear Deal; Pakistan Says France Killing Nuclear Deal,” Washington Post, 24 August 1978, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 24 August 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1976
Pakistan begins a major purchasing drive in Western Europe for its uranium enrichment project. During 1976, government agents place orders with Swiss and Dutch firms. Specific purchases include highly specialized valves for centrifuges (VAT-Switzerland), a gasification and solidification unit to feed uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges (CORA Engineering, Switzerland), and hardened steel tubes (Van Doorne – Netherlands). Exports of these items are not covered under the London Group’s ‘Nuclear Suppliers List’ and the Pakistani government is able to obtain them legally. Although the Swiss and Dutch governments learn that the purchases are related to Pakistan’s planned centrifuge facility, they stick with a narrow interpretation of nuclear export control regulations and do little to interfere the sales.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “The Kindly Dr. Khan,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), pp. 182-184.

1976
Pakistan attempts to purchase 10-15 tons of uranium hexafluoride gas from the West German company Rohstoff-Einfuhr; but the attempt is unsuccessful.
—Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, “More Bang for the Buck,” The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 218.

[Neo]

1978-1979

5 January 1978
The French newspaper Le Monde publishes a report stating that France is renegotiating a nuclear contract with Pakistan to decrease the danger of plutonium production.
--Associated Press, 6 January 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

6 January 1978
The French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing refuses to comment on the report that appeared in the French newspaper Le Monde that France is renegotiating a nuclear contract with Pakistan.
--Associated Press, 6 January 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

7 January 1978
Pakistan declares that it is unwilling to accept modifications to the existing contract to build a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility.
--Jonathan Kandell, Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 10 January 1978, Pg. 1, Column 3; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 10 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

9 January 1978
The French government announces that it is attempting to alter the contract to sell a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant to Pakistan. The original contract was signed in 1976. The French government is attempting to alter the contract by selling a fuel reprocessing facility that will not produce plutonium. Pakistan's military government is reportedly unwilling to accept the new terms of the contract. France's announcement does not provide any information on steps to be taken if Pakistan refuses to accept the proposal.
--Associated Press, 9 January 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 9 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

11 January 1978
Pakistan's government demands that France deliver the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant according to the original contract "without any modifications." Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that "All international safeguards to prevent the misuse of plutonium as prescribed by the International Atomic Energy Agency have been written into the existing agreement."
--"Pakistan: France must hold to Nuclear Deal," Washington Post, 12 January 1978, First Section, Around the World, A17; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 12 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

11 January 1978
The U.S. State Department announces that a group of 15 nations have agreed on a 16-provision code to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The agreement requires the participating nations to abide by the stipulated provisions in selling nuclear technology. The 16-provision code is being submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to U.S. State Department officials, one of the provisions bans the sale of reprocessing equipment. The provisions, however, are not retroactive and hence do not apply to the French contract to supply Pakistan with a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility.
--"Nuclear Export Safeguards Detailed," Facts on File World News Digest, 13 January 1978, World Affairs, Atomic Energy; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 13 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

14 January 1978
At a banquet for the visiting British Prime Minister Callaghan, Pakistan's Chief Martial law Administrator, General Zia ul-Haq, proposes the creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in South Asia.
--"Head of Pakistan Government Underlines Safeguarding of State Sovereignty," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 15 January 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 January 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

Late March 1978
A British embassy official passes information to the U.S. State Department that Pakistan has placed orders with a British firm for inverters. Inverters are sophisticated voltage control mechanisms that could have applications in a conventional industry or in a nuclear fuel enrichment plant. The British official also discusses U.S. plans to increase attention on the uranium enrichment route to acquire weapons grade fissile material.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

6 May 1978
Malaysian Foreign Minister Ahmad Rithauddean Bin Tengku Ismail concludes his visit to Pakistan and leaves for Malaysia. During the visit, both Malaysia and Pakistan express support for each other's initiatives to create nuclear weapons free zones in Southeast Asia and South Asia respectively.
--"Malaysian Foreign Minister Concludes Visit to Pakistan," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 7 May 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 7 May 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

20 May 1978
The U.S. State Department withholds nuclear licenses for 12 countries including Pakistan. According to the State Department, the license is being withheld because of Pakistan's attempts to acquire nuclear fuel reprocessing capacity. The amount of plutonium withheld is less than one pound. The plutonium is intended for a research reactor in which the plutonium is irradiated with alpha particles.
--Thomas O'Toole, "Licenses to Ship A-Fuel Delayed For More Review," Washington Post, 20 May 1978, First Section, A7; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 May 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

22 May 1978
Pakistan and Turkey sign a Trade Protocol at the second meeting of the Turkish-Pakistani Joint Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation. Among other issues, the Joint Committee decides to cooperate in the field of nuclear energy and medicine.
--"Turkey Ratifies Trade Protocol with Pakistan," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 12 October 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 12 October 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

16 June 1978
Speaking at a banquet in honor of the visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Keng Piao, Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator General Zia ul-Haq lists Pakistan's efforts at the UN to create a nuclear weapons free zone in South Asia and thanks China for its support towards the issue. The Chinese Vice-Premier Keng Piao indicates that the Chinese government will support Pakistan's efforts to create a nuclear-free zone in South Asia.
--"Pakistani Head of Government Describes Friendly Pakistan-China Relations as Model for Third World Countries," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 17 June 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 17 June 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis "China Resolutely Supports Just Struggles of South Asian Countries, Says Chinese Vice-Premier Keng Piao," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 17 June 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 17 June 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis

July 1978
Frank Allaun, a British Labor Party MP, raises a question in the House of Commons indicating that certain components being exported by a British company would enable Pakistan to build nuclear weapons. Allaun claims that the high-frequency electric equipment exactly matches the components used by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. The British company named is Emerson Electric Industrial Controls, a British subsidiary of the U.S. firm Emerson Electric. Allaun says he received information about the order from "a friend who had a friend." The British government reports back that the items specified in the Allaun's question are not included in the British export control list. The order is placed by a firm called Weargate based in Swansea, Wales. The firm is operated by two Pakistanis.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis "Ban this Bomb-To-Be," Economist, 14 April 1979, World Politics and Current Affairs, International, Pg. 56; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 April 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis David K. Willis, "On the Trail of the A-Bomb Makers; Antinuclear battle Nears Climax," Christian Science Monitor (Boston), 1 December 1981, Pg. 1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 1 December 1981, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

[Neo]

July - September 1978
The British firm, Emerson Electric Industrial Controls, exports 31 complete inverter systems to Pakistan. The inverter systems can be used to regulate a large number of centrifuge machines in a uranium enrichment plant. The inverters are routed through Weargate Ltd. operated by Abdus Salam and Peter Griffin.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, "The Kindly Dr. Khan," The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 186.

Summer 1978
The Swiss firm CORA Engineering completes fabrication of a uranium gasification and solidification unit for the Kahuta gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility. The entire plant is airlifted to Pakistan using chartered C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. CORA Engineering also provides engineers and other technical personnel to help with the post-sales servicing. This is the first of the two gasification and solidification units at Kahuta.
--Steve Weissman & Herbert Krosney, "The Kindly Dr. Khan," The Islamic Bomb: The Nuclear Threat to Israel and the Middle East, (New York: 1981, Times Books), p. 190.

9 August 1978
Pakistan's ruler General Zia ul-Haq receives a letter from the French president requesting modification in the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The modification would produce a mix of uranium and plutonium that cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. Pakistan objects to the proposed modification indicating that any such attempt will involve radical changes to the facility's design. The Pakistanis also indicate that a significant portion of the partially constructed plant would have to be brought down to incorporate the proposed modification. The Pakistanis further point out that the technique is relatively new and indicate that experiments in the United States reveal that the technique cannot be used on a commercial basis.
--"French Ask a Contract Revision," Facts on File World News Digest, 1 September 1978, Other Nations, Pakistan; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 1 September 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis "France, Pakistan to Resume Talks on Changes in Nuclear Plant Deal," Washington Post, 4 November 1978, First Section, A13; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 4 November 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

23 August 1978
The French President Valery d'Estaing informs Pakistan's ruler General Zia ul-Haq of France's decision to cancel the contract for the supply of a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. In a letter written to the Pakistani ruler, the French president indicates that the cancellation is based on fears that Pakistan might use the plutonium from the reprocessing facility to build nuclear weapons. In the letter, the French president offers to provide a nuclear co-processing plant that produces a mix of uranium and plutonium that cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. President d'Estaing's decision represents a significant shift from the policy of former Prime Minister Jacques Chirac who was a strong advocate for proceeding with the nuclear deal. Following Chirac's departure, French officials indicate that France has become more concerned with stopping the spread of nuclear technology and President d'Estaing has been attempting to terminate the Pakistani contract for quite sometime. The United States and Canada also pressurized Pakistan to force it to cancel the reprocessing plant deal. As a result of Canada's decision to withhold the supply of uranium, Pakistan's KANUPP reactor has been operating at less than 70% of its capacity.
--Information Bank Abstracts, New York Times, 24 August 1978, Pg. 43; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 24 August 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis Milton R. Benjamin, "Pakistan Says France Killing Controversial Nuclear Deal; Pakistan Says France Killing Nuclear Deal," Washington Post, 24 August 1978, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 24 August 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

23 August 1978
Pakistan's ruler General Zia ul-Haq announces France's decision to back out of the contract to supply a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. Releasing the details of the letter at a press conference in Rawalpindi, General Zia ul-Haq says "although it [letter] was full of sentiment, it was a lemon." Pakistan's ruler General Zia ul-Haq states that Pakistan is not interested in nuclear proliferation but says that Pakistan cannot lag behind other nations in technology. General Zia ul-Haq suggests that Pakistan would acquire such technology from other means if conventional methods are not available. General ul-Haq also denies that China has agreed to provide Pakistan with the reprocessing facility.
--Milton R. Benjamin, "Pakistan Says France Killing Controversial Nuclear Deal; Pakistan Says France Killing Nuclear Deal," Washington Post, 24 August 1978, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 24 August 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis "French Ask a Contract Revision," Facts on File World News Digest, 1 September 1978, Other Nations, Pakistan; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 1 September 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

24 August 1978
The U.S. State Department announces that the United States might sign a new aid agreement with Pakistan following France's decision to cancel the contract to supply a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant to Islamabad. The United States had earlier cut-off food aid in the fall of 1977 as a measure to pressurize Pakistan to cancel the deal. The U.S. State Department spokesperson Ken Brown states 'We do indeed hope that we can sign a new aid program with Pakistan in the near future." The Carter administration has already asked the U.S. Congress to approve $69 million in development aid for the 1979 fiscal year. The development aid request is distinguished from the $53.4 million request for food aid.
--"U.S. to Renew Aid to Pakistan," Washington Post, 25 August 1978, First Section, Around the World, A23; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 25 August 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

24 August 1978
French spokespersons confirm President Giscard d'Estaing's offer to reopen talks with Pakistan on supplying a modified nuclear reprocessing plant.
--"French Ask a Contract Revision," Facts on File World News Digest, 1 September 1978, Other Nations, Pakistan; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 1 September 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

[Neo]

19 September 1978
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission sources indicate that Pakistan has attained the ability to produce radioisotopes that meet more than one-third of Pakistan's requirements. Radioisotopes are used in medicine, agriculture, and industry and scientific research.
--"Pakistan Produces Radio-Isotopes," Xinhua General Overseas News Service, 20 September 1978; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 September 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

October 1978
Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto claims that Pakistan was near to attaining "full nuclear capability" prior to his overthrow in 1977. Bhutto claims that "All we [Pakistanis] needed was the nuclear reprocessing plant." In a 319-page document smuggled out of his prison cell, Mr. Bhutto takes credit for developing Pakistan's nuclear energy program and indicates that Pakistan only needs a reprocessing facility to attain nuclear capability.
--"Bhutto- A-Capability was Near," Facts on File World News Digest, 20 October 1978, Other Nations, Pakistan; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 20 October 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis Milton R. Benjamin, "US Officials View Pakistan as the Leading Threat to Join the Nuclear Club," Washington Post, 8 December 1978, First Section, A16; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 December 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

October 1978
The British government imposes tighter export control laws after a Labor Party member of parliament Frank Allaun reveals that Pakistan had placed orders with a British company for inverters that could be used in a uranium fuel enrichment plant. The British company, Emerson Electric Industrial Controls, is working on 100 more inverters to be supplied to Pakistan when the government imposes further restrictions to stop the export of such components.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

24 October 1978
The United States announces the resumption of economic assistance to Pakistan. In 1977, the United States imposed an aid embargo against Pakistan over its efforts to acquire a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility from France. The resumption of aid will provide Pakistan with $122.4 million during the fiscal year 1979. The amount allotted for food aid is $53 million.
--"US to renew Aid," Facts on File World News Digest," 3 November 1978, Other Nations, Pakistan; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 3 November 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

Fall 1978
A California based firm exports about half-dozen inverters to Pakistan.
--Don Oberdorfer, Michael Gatier, and Maralee Schwartz, "Pakistan: The Quest for Atomic Bomb; Problem Discussed by West, Moscow, Peking," Washington Post, 27 August 1979, First Section, A1; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

November 1978
The United States offers to supply Pakistan with F5 fighter planes. The offer is formally made by the U.S. Undersecretary of State Lucy W. Benson.
--Don Oberdorfer, "Arms Sales to Pakistan Urged to Stave Off A-Bomb There," Washington Post, 6 August 1979, First Section, A7; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 6 August 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

3 November 1978
Pakistan and France agree to resume negotiations over the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant under construction in Pakistan. An envoy of General Zia ul-Haq meets the French President Valery d'Estaing and hands over a letter from General Haq regarding the resumption of talks.
--"France, Pakistan to Resume Talks on Changes in Nuclear Plant Deal," Washington Post, 4 November 1978, First Section, A13; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 4 November 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

8 December 1978
Top U.S. officials in the Carter administration consider Pakistan to be the biggest proliferation threat. U.S. officials point to the document written by deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as evidence of Pakistan's intentions to develop a nuclear weapons program. U.S. officials believe that despite France's withdrawal from the nuclear fuel-reprocessing contract, Pakistan possesses the complete blueprints for the reprocessing facility since France provided Pakistan with those blueprints in 1976. A top US official says "The French have nipped in the bud the short route to proliferation, but the Pakistanis will probably explore a variety of other avenues."
--Milton R. Benjamin, "US Officials View Pakistan as the Leading Threat to Join the Nuclear Club," Washington Post, 8 December 1978, First Section, A16; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 December 1978, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

Late December 1978
Despite the decision by France to terminate the contract for the supply of the reprocessing plant, French technicians continue to work at the plant's construction site in Chashma.
--"Ban This Bomb-To-Be," Economist, 14 April 1974, World Politics and Current Affairs, International, Pg. 56; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 April 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1978
Middle Eastern publications report remarks by Libya's Prime Minister offering financial support for Pakistan's nuclear energy projects.
--"Ban this Bomb-To-Be," Economist, 14 April 1979, World Politics and Current Affairs, International, Pg. 56; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 April 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis

1978
Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto writes, "My single most important achievement, which, I believe, will dominate the portrait of my public life, is an agreement which I arrived at after assiduous and tenacious endeavors, spanning 11 years of negotiations... The agreement of mine concluded in June, 1976, will perhaps be my greatest achievement and contribution to the survival of our people and our nation." --"Pakistan: A Clue to the Bomb Mystery," Economist, 14 July 1979, World Politics and Current Affairs, International, Pg. 60; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 14 July 1979, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.

1978
Libya's Colonel Qadhafi allegedly sends planes carrying millions of dollars in untraceable Libyan cash to finance Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
--John K. Cooley, "Qaddafi's Great Aim for Libya is a Nuclear Capability of its Own," Christian Science Monitor (Boston), 12 November 1980, Pg. 14; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 12 November 1980, Leading Global Provider – Total Business Solutions | LexisNexis.