Pakistan Affairs MCQs – Page 8 (Q71-80)

The University of the Punjab, established in Lahore in 1882, is the oldest university in present-day Pakistan and one of the oldest in South Asia, founded during British colonial rule. It predates Pakistan's independence by 65 years and has produced numerous prominent alumni across politics, law, science and literature in both Pakistan and the wider region. Aligarh Muslim University, though historically significant to Muslim higher education in South Asia and closely tied to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's reformist movement, is located in India rather than Pakistan. Karachi University and Peshawar University, both established after independence in 1951 and 1950 respectively, are considerably younger institutions.

Dr. Abdus Salam became the first Pakistani, and the first Muslim, to win a Nobel Prize, receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his contributions to electroweak unification theory, shared with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg. A theoretical physicist from Jhang, Punjab, Salam faced religious discrimination in Pakistan due to his Ahmadi faith, and much of his later career was spent abroad, including founding the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. Malala Yousafzai later became Pakistan's second Nobel laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her advocacy of girls' education. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, though a prominent nuclear scientist, never received a Nobel Prize.

Nishan-e-Haider is Pakistan's highest military gallantry award, given posthumously in almost every instance to armed forces personnel who display extraordinary courage and sacrifice in the face of the enemy. The name translates roughly to 'Emblem of the Lion', drawing on a title associated with Hazrat Ali in Islamic tradition, symbolising exceptional bravery. It has been awarded only a small number of times since Pakistan's independence, reflecting the extremely high threshold required for the honour, with recipients drawn from the wars of 1965 and 1971 and later counter-insurgency operations. It ranks above other honours like the Hilal-e-Jurat and Sitara-e-Jurat in Pakistan's military honours system, and is distinct from civil awards such as the Nishan-e-Pakistan.

Captain Muhammad Sarwar was the first recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military gallantry award, honoured posthumously for his bravery during the 1948 Kashmir war against Indian forces. He was killed in action near Uri while leading his company in an assault, and his courage under fire became emblematic of the newly formed Pakistan Army's early sacrifices. Major Aziz Bhatti and Major Shabbir Sharif later received the same honour for heroism in the 1965 and 1971 wars respectively, while Rashid Minhas, a young air force pilot, received it posthumously in 1971 for preventing a hijacked aircraft from reaching India. The award remains Pakistan's most prestigious military distinction, given only in cases of extraordinary valour.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is Pakistan's national airline, established in 1946 as Orient Airways before being nationalised and rebranded as PIA in 1955. It became one of Asia's pioneering airlines, notably helping China establish its own national airline in the early 1960s and being among the first non-communist carriers to fly into China. PIA has faced significant financial and operational challenges in recent decades, including fleet reductions and safety concerns, prompting government efforts toward privatisation. Private carriers such as Airblue, SereneAir and Fly Jinnah have since emerged to compete on Pakistan's domestic and some international routes, though PIA remains the flag carrier.

Badr-1 was Pakistan's first satellite, developed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and launched in 1990, making Pakistan one of the earlier developing nations to enter space technology. It was a low-Earth-orbit communications and experimental satellite, launched aboard a Chinese Long March rocket, reflecting early cooperation between the two countries. Pakistan later launched Badr-B in 2001 and subsequent Paksat communications satellites to expand its space capabilities. SUPARCO, established in 1961, remains the country's national space agency, responsible for satellite development, remote sensing and space research.

Pakistan's first satellite, Badr-1, was launched on 16 July 1990 aboard a Chinese Long March 2E rocket, placing Pakistan among a small group of nations with early independent satellite programmes. It was developed indigenously by SUPARCO, Pakistan's national space agency established in 1961 under the guidance of Dr. Abdus Salam, the country's only Nobel laureate in physics. The satellite operated in low Earth orbit and was used mainly for experimental communication and amateur radio purposes. Pakistan's space efforts have since expanded through later satellites like Badr-B (2001) and the Paksat series of communications satellites.

Pakistan conducted its nuclear tests in May 1998, codenamed Chagai-I and Chagai-II, shortly after India's own nuclear tests earlier that month, making Pakistan the world's seventh declared nuclear power. The tests were conducted under the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and drew international sanctions, particularly from the United States, though they were widely celebrated domestically as a strategic milestone. 28 May is commemorated annually in Pakistan as Youm-e-Takbir ('Day of Greatness') to mark the achievement. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is widely credited as the chief architect of Pakistan's uranium enrichment programme that made the tests possible.

Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests were conducted at the Chagai Hills in Balochistan, near the border with Afghanistan and Iran, chosen for its remote, mountainous terrain suitable for underground testing. The tests, carried out on 28 May 1998, involved detonating five nuclear devices simultaneously, followed by a sixth test days later at a nearby site called Kharan. This made Pakistan the first Muslim-majority country to become a declared nuclear power. The event is commemorated annually as Youm-e-Takbir, and a monument replicating the Chagai mountains was later built in Islamabad to mark the achievement.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is widely known as the father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, credited with developing the uranium enrichment capability that enabled the country's 1998 nuclear tests. A metallurgist trained in Europe, he returned to Pakistan in the mid-1970s and established the Kahuta Research Laboratories, later renamed Khan Research Laboratories in his honour. He became a controversial figure internationally after being accused of proliferating nuclear technology to countries including North Korea, Iran and Libya, leading to a period of house arrest in the 2000s. Dr. Abdus Salam, by contrast, was a theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate whose work was largely separate from the weapons programme.