How did the Newton apple tree reach Islamabad?
The sapling was awarded to NPSL by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in acknowledgement of the development of its primary laboratories and the scientific relationship established with Britain’s National Physical Laboratory under Khalid Islam’s leadership.
Is the Islamabad tree Newton’s original apple tree?
No. The original tree remains at Woolsthorpe Manor in England. The NPSL tree is a descendant of the historic tree associated with Newton.
Pakistan must honour the scientists who chose to build at home
Khalid Islam could have remained in Britain and allowed his success to become another statistic in Pakistan’s endless discussion about brain drain. Instead, he returned, installed scientific capability, helped build a national laboratory, connected Pakistan with international measurement institutions and earned recognition represented by one of the most famous trees in scientific history.
The Newton apple tree in Islamabad is not simply about Newton. It is about a Pakistani scientist who understood that knowledge acquires national meaning only when it is brought home, institutionalized and passed to the next generation.
Pakistan should preserve the tree, document the laboratory history and give Khalid Islam the credit he earned. Our unsung heroes should not have to disappear before the country discovers their value.
The sapling was planted long ago. It is now Pakistan’s responsibility to ensure that the legacy growing beneath it is never uprooted.
