Government Work and Diplomacy
In 1975, Khan embarked his international career as public policy maker of Pakistan when he represented Pakistan delegation in France to acquire a Reprocessing Plant at Chashma from CEA and the reprocessing plant from British Nuclear Fuel Limited (BNFL), which were to be under IAEA safeguards. However, despite Khan's efforts, the project was cancelled by France and Britain, but Pakistan had acquired 95% of detailed plans; the fuel and the designs. Khan with Hafeez Qureshi designed and led an ingenious construction of un-safeguarded reprocessing plant, New Laboratories to produced weapon-grade plutonium which was completed between 1981–1982 without foreign assistance.
In 1985, Khan lobbied for another plutonium production plant at Khushab, which is known as Khushab Nuclear Complex; and gained the approval of Khushab-I— a multipurpose heavy water plant, and a tritium production complex. In 1987, Khan's intensified lobbying for nuclear technology project paid off when he gained approval from Prime minister Khan Juneijo for further weapon-development project. In 1989, Khan was given a government honour and made Minister of State of Ministry of Science by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who shifted his office to Prime minister Secretariat, an official residence of Prime minister. Khan who served as the Science Advisor to the government since 1983, played an integral role in Pakistan's nuclear policy and remained a vital figure in military affairs, advising the military in conventional nuclear weapons development and methods of launching them.
A grand ceremony was held in Beijing where Foreign minister Sahab-zada Yaqub Khan signed the agreement on behalf of Pakistan in the presence of Khan and the Chinese Premier Li Peng. This accord opened the way for Pakistan to receive Chinese assistance in setting up four 300MWe commercial nuclear power reactors under IAEA safeguards at Chashma city. Therefore, PAEC reached an agreement with China in November 1989 for the supply of a 300MWe CHASHNUPP-I commercial nuclear power plant. In February 1990, President Mitterrand of France visited Pakistan and announced that France had agreed to supply a 900 MWe commercial nuclear power reactor to Pakistan which was to be under IAEA safeguards. However,following the dismissal of the government of Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in August 1990, the French nuclear power plant went into cold storage and the agreement could not be implemented due to financial constraints and the Pakistan government's apathy during the successive periods.
Shortly afterward, Khan stated that the signing of civil nuclear cooperation agreements with China and France had broken a fifteen-year virtual embargo by western states on the supply of nuclear power plants to Pakistan.
Read more about this topic: Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)
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