Let us explore the controversial life of Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, a Pakistani nuclear engineer and scholar, who played a significant role in Pakistan’s nuclear bomb project and also faced criminal investigations.
The father of DG ISPR, Bashiruddin Mahmood, was a nuclear scientist and should be respected for his contributions. However, he was investigated for his connections to Al-Qaeda. Mahmood formed a political organization called “Ummat-e-Tamir-e-Nau,” which the US labeled as a terrorist organization. He was also a close associate of Dr. Israr Ahmed and worked extensively for religion, leading to his labeling as a terrorist and facilitator.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistan’s first nuclear scientist and director of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, developed the first heavy water testing and was awarded a prize of 100,000 rupees by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for his contributions. Among other heroes, I recall the name of Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, who contributed to Pakistan’s nuclear program. For a reminder, Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood was the one who brought Dr. AQ Khan back to Pakistan from Holland. In addition, he is the first DG ISPR from the E&ME corps. When PAEC was assigned by Bhutto at Circuit House Multan in 1973 to begin working on the Atomic Bomb, Sultan Bashiruddin Mehmood stepped forward and expressed his readiness by saying “Yes Sir, we are capable of doing it.”
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood is a nuclear engineer from Pakistan who also has expertise in Islamic studies. The Federal Investigation Agency started a criminal inquiry into his unapproved trip to Afghanistan before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Regarding his name appearing with Al-Qaeda’s list of names, those who actually had connections with it, handed over a foreigner to the United States for 25 million dollars each. The whole story is written on page 243 of General Musharraf’s book.
