Reko Diq and Samar Mubarakmand

Thanx ALI.Recommend

The title of this article is “Reko Diq and Samar Mubarakmand” while he mentioned Reko Diq in first few words and thats it.Recommend

ok, sooo?Recommend

May God Bless this person, as he might become the light at the end of the tunnel for Pakistanis.Recommend

@Author

Reko Diq to the best of my understanding ia about Gold and Copper mining and is distinct from the Thar Coal Project. Even though the Tiltle mentions Riko Diq, the writeup is all about Thar Coal Project.

The Author further says,

he started his own lab, which grew
exponentially and ultimately resulted
in Pakistan becoming a pioneer of
nuclear and missile technology.

And this is what Dr A Q Khan has to say in today’s The News
The PAEC has existed for more than 50 years and employs almost 20,000 people, but it has not been able to make a single power reactor, even of a small size. This is despite the fact that the technology itself is half-a-century old, and India and South Korea are among countries which have been producing reactors for years. The one at Karachi was supplied by Canada and the two at Chashma by China.

Well a ‘Pioneer of Nuclear Technology’ should be able to construct a reactor or two.Incidentally, can one have an idea of the number of patents the ‘pioneers of nuclear and missile technology’ have in these fields.Recommend

Projects we cannot handle (Dr A Q Khan)

THE NEWS (Monday, January 24, 2011 )

This is very clear message from AQ khan which 200% based on fact, and this is our habit and culture that our doctor is politician, politician is singer, singer is cricketer, every one want to be jack in all trade but unfortunately they are master in none, and interfere in other’s professional which they do not know the ABC of that, the nuclear scientist does not know the workings of business nor does he have any experience, Why can’t we behave like a civilized nation looking after its interest for the sake of its people. to me the main mission and aim of cancelling this project is due to the shares of Baluchistan, this is first opportunity that Baluchistan has its own business which is very hard for rulers to digest this, the aim is to keep Baloch deprive how much possible and loot there resources. The powerful lobbies and rulers will never let Balochistan to benefit from this as has always been the case.
The very best example in this sector is Sain Dak copper gold mine, smaller size had been initiated using foreign contractors to build it in 1990′s. When it came online and Pakistani government took over, it started to make losses after losses despite the gold and copper flowing from it. It had become the world’s first loss making gold mine by late 1990′s and the budgetary comity had to close it down to stop the losses. Later on it was given to Chinese operators who are running it today.
We should salute Dr. A K Khan saying the truth and our capabilityRecommend

It sound more like a publicity campaign for both doctors rather than any thing elseRecommend

One hand is for Nuclear and Another is for Salvation , and Our head is bended down because we fear if US stops AID than what will be gonna in Pakistann ??? Righttt?! anyone has answer ..??!!Recommend

Interesting article – shame that we Pakistanis have to make everything so controversial. Give the professional scientist a chance! The Thar Coal was found ages ago – what has been done so far? nothing, simply nothing! So if some local scientist wants to give it a shot, let him work!Recommend

I think everybody should read the Dr. Qadeer profile on wikipedia to aware his envious behavior with PAEC . What he did for country ? he deny after confession on Media about selling Nuclear secrets.Dr. Qadeer’s A.Q.Khan lab can’t conduct Nuclear test even in next 30 years. His cold test had already failed. His mysterious behavior on nuclear test site had observed by whole nation but ignored.On same Geo channel(aik din geo kay sath) he said that he don’t want to do for this nation in future if get chance.

Any how! I am very promising and praying for Dr. Sammar Mubarik. he is very close to success and sooner will give a Good news to nation.Recommend

lol… What an article :)Recommend

Article is well written and well-researched. We need more articles along these lines.Recommend

Pakistan is a blessed country – with resources and intelligence – just need to equate the two together – that is ALL that is neededRecommend

As for Reko Diq I’ll second Dr.AQ Khan’s remarks:

“If the deal for Reko Diq is faulty, hold the negotiators and the signatories responsible, not the foreign firm.It was our duty to safeguard and protect our national interests. However, such contracts are for mutual benefit – a question of give-and-take”Recommend

Timely and well-written pieceRecommend

This is real wonder that hamid meer first blame Govt. that it intent to fire Dr. Samar Mubarik from coal project( jang 13/12/2010). Now Dr. qadeer doing propoganda against the Dr. Samar Mubarik in same paper. hamid meer has spread millions of sms in public that Govt. is expelling Dr. Samar Mubarik in Dec.
Conspiracy! But who are doing against whom????Recommend

Was there some purpose or point to this piece? It seems incomplete and lacks substance. The only thing the author has managed to tell us is that he spoke to and met Dr Mubarakmand…big whoop! Is the Editor asleep?Recommend

Article title doesn’t shadow the story inside but i like the effort.

Keep it up AliRecommend

This article addresses none of the issues surrounding the Reko Diq deal and is seriously mis-titled. The information provided in the last paragraph is of a descriptive nature and the author would have done well to extend his analysis and questions to more relevant questions of the role of TTC in mining. At present it reflects a wasted opportunity at the Secretariat.Recommend

Good article about Dr Samar – shows if you are passionate, doors always open up and you CAN make a difference even in Pakistan. Good article!Recommend

Good article Dr Rai! – gives a good glimpse into Dr Samar’s life – the writer very aptly did not talk much about Reko Diq as the whole process is in the courts – no wonder he is a Rhodes Scholar!Recommend

Feels good when you read about such intellectuals of Pakistan especially ones who are active as well in serving Pakistan. Yes the tittle of article doesn’t go together with the content till the end, but still not a bad piece of writing to read. Cheers Mr. AliRecommend

Excellent piece in the Tribune – a very good and informative readRecommend

Good tributeRecommend

What the copper metallurgist A Q Khan failed to mention is that PAEC not only constructed the Muslim world’s first indigenous plutonium production reactor starting in 1986 at Khushab, but has also completed two additional reactors at the same site based on its initial success. He will also never acknowledge that PAEC has built the entire nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure for Pakistan without which there would neither have been a weapons program, nor any civilian nuclear program.

This fuel cycle infrastructure comprises uranium exploration sites throughout Pakistan; uranium mining and refining facilities at Baghalchur; a huge Chemical Plants Complex at Dera Ghazi Khan which produces uranium oxide and 200 tons of uranium hexafluoride gas each year, which is feedstock for the centrifuges at Kahuta (which was manned by PAEC manpower and launched by PAEC before his arrival in Pakistan).

Without the hexafluoride gas, the gas-centrifuges would be enriching air instead of uranium; a nuclear fuel fabrication complex at Kundian which produces nuclear fuel for KANUPP and the first fuel element for KANUPP was produced within two years of Canadian cut off of supplies for it in 1976; a fuel reprocessing plant at New Labs which separates weapon-grade plutonium from irradiated spent fuel; a Uranium Metal Lab which converts the enriched uranium gas into metal and machines it into weapon cores; Laser and Optics Labs and Labs for producing the chemical high explosives and neutron sources for the weapons; the Theoretical Physics Group which designed Pakistan’s nuclear weapons; the Directorate of Technical Development which was responsible for the developing the trigger mechanism for the bomb and precision engineering and cold and hot testing of for nuclear devices of various sizes and yields; the solid fueled ballistic and cruise missile program at NDC; more a dozen nuclear medical centres; several bio-technology and genetic engineering labs that have produced high yield and disease resistant cotton and wheat crop, which is the back bone of Pakistan’s agriculture; Human Resource Development institutions like the Centre for Nuclear Studies which is today a university PIEAS and the entire infrastructure for the nuclear test sites at Chaghi- Kharan and Kirana Hills. It was at Kirana Hills that PAEC carried out the first cold test of a working nuclear device on March 11, 1983 and subsequently carried out 24 more cold tests in which 4-5 weapon designs were perfected and then hot tested by PAEC at Chaghi. Plus the entire import-oriented procurement network was set up in Europe by PAEC for all projects, including KRL whose import chain was later separated by A Q Khan and now we have the proliferation mess in our platter.

As for constructing nuclear power reactors, PAEC had, in 1973, along with IAEA’s technical support, prepared a long-term energy security plan for Pakistan which called for setting up 24 nuclear power reactors by the end of the century. These were to be built with international assistance as Pakistan lacked the industrial base at that time and were hugely capital intensive projects and successive governments failed to provide PAEC with the funds for a power program due to lack of resources which could only be acquired through international help.

However, India’s 1974 test put sanctions on Pakistan even for peaceful technology as Pakistan was not ready to sign NPT and had to put all its resources into the nuclear weapons program. But PAEC did design and produce plutonium production reactors without any foreign help but the government did not provide it with the necessary funds for power reactor projects. In March 1976, the ECNEC approved a 600 MW power reactor at Chashma, and this project could not be followed up due to the overthrow of the Zia regime which was naive about nuclear energy. The breakthrough came in 1986 when PAEC signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with China which broke international sanctions against Pakistan for power reactors and opened the way for four 300 MW Chashma power reactors. In 1990, France promised to provide PAEC with a 900 MW power reactor, but again with the change of government in Islamabad, the deal could not materialize.

It took India ten years to complete a partially completed RAPS-II power reactor after the Canadians cut of assistance after India’s 1974 test, in spite of India’s elaborate industrial base. Even today countries like China and India are relying on western help in power reactor projects and that is justification put forward in the Indo-US nuclear deal. But unfortunately for Pakistan, the A Q Khan proliferation saga has damaged Pakistan’s otherwise clean nuclear record and now no country is willing to provide Pakistan with an Indo-US type civil nuclear deal and all nuclear suppliers are competing to grab the lucrative Indian nuclear energy market. It is easy to distort facts and put things out of context so that the gullible masses are led to believe that PAEC, which is today the largest Science and Technology organization in the country, is a failed institution, and only one individual is the man with the magic wand, who was asking the PAEC Chairman at the Chaghi test site just prior to the tests as to what will happen to the mountain after the explosion. The Chairman replied that the mountain will turn white.Recommend

one very stupid question? I guess Reko Diq as a paroject is different then Thar coal reserves? Reko Diq is mostly for gold reserves, isin’t that? Recommend

@ Mr. Author: Keep sending these posts and may be some day you would learn how to write at the expense of the poor readers. HeHe

@ ET & the Readers: Why not have a program on Frontline with Samar Mubarikmand and Dr. AQ Khan. And see who is lying? Will do great for the ratings? May be people will forget Veena Malik :)Recommend

whoever says well written and researched are most definitely friends or relatives of the author!Recommend

Not seeing the connection between Reko Diq and anything Mubarakmand said in this interview.Recommend

Why don’t Dr. Samar Mubarakmand take interest in development and mining of North Waziristan Copper where a resource of 27 million tons having copper content of 0.8% plus appropriate amount of Gold, Silver and Cobalt along with excellent infrastructure facilities exists? All the relevant Geo-technical data is already provided to him through a 97 slides presentation on 27th Aug, 2009 that was attended by the eminent geo-scientists of the country. Its economic viability has already been established and If developed through indigenous resources, will establish a successful model for the future. Recommend