Ishrat Hussain Usmani

Ishrat Hussain Usmani ‎ (15 April 1917 – 17 June 1992) , best known as I. H. Usmani, was a Pakistani atomic physicist, and later a public official who chaired the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1960 to 1971 as well as overseeing the establishment of the Space Research Commission.

His career was mostly spent in the Government of Pakistan as a public policy official where he pushed for peaceful and commercial usage of the nuclear energy, and later worked on arms control with Ministry of Defense to become a party of Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963 before joining the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the Chair of its Board of Governors. Usmani oversaw the nuclear power generation in Pakistan, working towards commissioning the nuclear power grid station in Karachi, and strengthened the role of the atomic energy commission at the United Nations. Usmani hailed from an educated, cultured, and gentry class, having completed his schooling in Aligarh. Usmani attended the St. Xavier's College in Bombay, and graduated with BSc with honors in physics from the Bombay University in 1936. Usmani continued his education in physics and went to attend the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) where he attained his MSc in physics. At Imperial College, Usmani qualified for Diploma of Imperial College (DIC). His early work and investigation was based on the crystallization, lattice arrangement, and atomic properties of Uranium. Under his chairmanship, Usmani engaged the PAEC towards the peaceful usage of nuclear energy for greater industrial output, and supported the American initiatives for Atoms for Peace. In 1967–70, he worked with the Ministry of Defense on nuclear arms control by advising the Yahya administration.

On 20 January 1972, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto relieved Usmani from the Chairmanship by appointing Munir Ahmad Khan, a reactor physicist, in his place. Usmani was dispatched to the Ministry of Science and Technology as its Secretary, remaining involved with and continued lobbying for arms control. Although, Usmani was notified and knew well that the atomic bomb project was a complete success, the program has gone mature, and the critical phase of producing the fissile cores had been achieved since 1978. His publication played an influential role in convincing the United States' policy to ease off the nuclear embargo on Pakistan.

He remained with the IAEA until 1985 when he joined the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) to oversee the funding and construction of the University of Computer and Emerging Sciences and the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Technology. He remained associated with the BCCI until 1991 when he retired and returned to Pakistan after 17 years. While in Pakistan, Usmani became a consultant of the New and Emerging Sciences and Technology (NEST) a scientific think tank based in Pakistan.

Death and legacy

Usmani returned to Pakistan in 1991 where he bought an estate in Karachi, Sindh, and died on 17 June 1992. In his country, Usmanis' advocacy for nuclear arms control and civil use of nuclear power remains popular.

During his public service, Usmani successfully presented the idea of Scientific Services, where scientists could seek promising career and permanent employment with the federal government, which many of his peers and scientists did. In May 1998, Usmani was posthumously recognized for his services when he was conferred with his nation's highest honor, the Nishan-i-Imtiaz.