Samar Mubarakmand


Samar Mubarakmand is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, known for his research in gamma spectroscopy and the development of the Charged Particle Accelerator at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology.
As of 2025, he is leading the mineral exploration efforts in the Chiniot district, serving as the Chairman to the Punjab Mineral Company.

Early life and education

Mubarakmand was born on 17 September 1942 in Rawalpindi in the Punjab Province of British India. His Muslim family was originally from the Hoshiarpur District. He was educated in Lahore and graduated from St. Anthony's High School in 1956.
After passing university entrance examinations, he enrolled at Government College University, where he studied physics under Tahir Hussain. During university, Mubarakmand was a swimmer and represented GCU at the National Games of Pakistan. In 1960, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics, concentrating in experimental physics with a minor in mathematics.
He researched experimental physics under Hussain and built an experimental apparatus for his master's thesis. His thesis included work on gamma‑ray spectrometry, and he conducted an experiment witnessed by nuclear physicist Denys Wilkinson as part of his master's programme. Wilkinson invited Mubarakmand to visit the University of Oxford to pursue further study in experimental physics.
In 1962, Mubarakmand received an MSc in physics after completing his thesis, Construction of a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer. The same year, he joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and received a scholarship to study at Oxford, where he joined Wilkinson's group. Mubarakmand helped prepare and commission a 22‑million‑volt particle accelerator. He also studied linear accelerators and, after returning to Pakistan, built one. Besides his studies, he played cricket as a fast bowler for the Oxford University Cricket Club.
In 1966, he completed his doctoral thesis under Wilkinson and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in experimental nuclear physics.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)

Upon completing his doctoral research in fast neutron spectrometry, Mubarakmand was appointed to head the Diagnostic Group of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Drawing on his experience with high‑energy accelerators, he converted a neutron generator available at PAEC to study nuclear structure and fast neutron scattering.
In 1974, he completed research on fast neutron‑induced reactions and developed experimental techniques for neutron spectroscopy. This work resulted in several publications in the journals Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Instruments and Methods.
From 1974 to 1977, he served on temporary attachment as director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Physics at Government College University, Lahore. During this period, he developed an interest in applications of solid‑state track detectors. In 1976, he presented this work at an international conference at the Max Planck Institute in Munich.
From 1977 to 1980, Mubarakmand conducted research on the use of lasers and on isotope separation in sulfur hexafluoride. He also studied methods of transmitting signals through optical fibers to reduce electromagnetic interference. These studies formed part of the broader development of fiber‑optic technology in Pakistan during that period.

1971 War and Atomic Bomb Project

In the 1980s, PAEC was busy developing several designs of nuclear devices and decided that these designs would have to be ratified through cold tests. Mubarakmand was known for his expertise in fast neutron spectrometry.
During his doctoral studies on nuclear structure at the University of Oxford, Mubarakmand developed and refined a technique for the spectroscopy of fast neutrons released during the nuclear reactions under investigation. This technique has direct applications in conducting cold tests of nuclear devices.
Munir Khan, chairman of the PAEC, selected Mubarakmand as the first choice for head of the Diagnostic Group.
Several designs of nuclear devices were developed, and their performance was assured with high confidence through cold testing. Each test involved the detection and measurement of fast neutrons emitted in brief, intense bursts lasting less than a microsecond. All available nuclear devices that had been designed and developed were subsequently cold tested and qualified. In addition, the Diagnostic Group successfully carried out the important task of designing and manufacturing a neutron trigger source based on fusion reactions. This neutron source would trigger a nuclear device in a hot test.
From 1991 to 1994, Mubarakmand was promoted to head of the Directorate of Technical Development, where he supervised and modernized work methods. Within three years, smaller nuclear devices with updated specifications were developed to meet the diverse requirements of Pakistan’s fighter aircraft and various upcoming delivery systems. All designs were validated through cold testing by his former diagnostic team.
After three years as Director DTD, Mubarakmand was promoted to Director General DTD in 1994. In 1995, he was given the responsibility of Member Technical PAEC, which he held till the year 2000. During the five-year tenure, Mubarakmand, apart from looking after the classified side of the Technical Program of PAEC, also became responsible for the optimal functioning of the centers of Nuclear Medicine, Agriculture, PINSTECH and New Labs. At New Labs, Mubarakmand and a team of PAEC’s Scientists and Engineers were able to establish and commission Pakistan’s first reprocessing plant for burnt reactor fuel. This led to the production of metallic plutonium at the facility in the year 2000.
Several areas were visited and studied with the help of senior geologists of the PAEC. Chairman Ishfaq Ahmed eventually selected the Chaghai site for conducting Pakistan’s nuclear hot tests. Mubarakmand supervised the installation of diagnostic equipment and other nuclear testing safety infrastructure.
In 2005, Mubarakmand eulogized his memories in an interview with Hamid Mir's Capital Talk television show and said:
Recalling Munir Ahmad Khan and the PAEC's role in relation to the atomic bomb project priority dispute, Mubarakmand later said that:

Pakistan’s missile program

In the 1990s, Mubarakmand worked to advance the space program and led a team of engineers that developed the Shaheen-I missile. He was the founding director of the National Defence Complex, which initiated work on the Shaheen‑I and garnered support for the program. Funding for the program was secured by the military, and Mubarakmand oversaw the development of the solid-fuel rocket booster.
Initiated in 1987 by the Pakistan Ministry of Defence in response to India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, Pakistan’s spin‑off missile program was further pursued in 1993 under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The Shaheen‑I missile was test‑fired in 1999 by a team of engineers led by Mubarakmand. Subsequently, Shaheen-II and Shaheen-III were test‑fired, with ranges of 2,000 km and 2,750 km, respectively.
Other strategic systems, including Babur and Ghaznavi, were also developed by teams he led. Development of the Babur cruise missile proceeded in the same period; multiple boost‑phase and flight‑phase tests evaluated performance and potential roles in national defense strategy. Mubarakmand retired from the NESCOM in November 2007.
In 2008, he joined the Planning Commission of Pakistan, where he advocated for peaceful uses of the space program. In 2009, he announced work on Paksat-1R, the country's first geostationary satellite, which was launched in 2011. The satellite was described as supporting monitoring of agriculture, mineral resources, and weather conditions; he also stated that there were sufficient funds for defence, nuclear, and space programs. It was launched in 2011 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. His relations with Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan were often tense over scientific issues.

Thar Coal Project

In 2013, Mubarakmand assisted the Provincial Government of Balochistan in mineral extraction. He lobbied heavily for the implementation of the Thar coal project initiated by the Provincial Government of Sindh despite strong public criticism by Abdul Qadeer Khan. In 2015, a breakthrough in the Thar coal project was reported by the media. According to Mubarakmand, the Thar coal reserves have been projected to supply power for several decades, subject to development and policy implementation. When speaking to a large crowd at Cadet College Fateh Jang, he said that he had developed a solution to the growing power outage and was now waiting for the government to put it into action.

Reko Diq Copper Gold Project

In December 2020, the Tethyan Cooper Company approached the High Court of Justice in the British Virgin Islands for the enforcement of the $5.97 billion award against Pakistan by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in the Reko Diq case.
A senior official revealed that the "misstatement" of Mubarakmand before the Supreme Court tribunal, in which he in 2011 had claimed that the Reko Diq gold mines would fetch Pakistan around $2.5 billion annually, was one of the main reasons behind the Supreme Court's decision on 7 January 2013. On that date, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, declared the Chagai Hills Exploration Joint Venture Agreement "illegal, void" and non-binding, causing ICSID to slap a heavy penalty on Pakistan. Mubarakmand projected that Reko Diq and other reserves could generate up to $131 billion over the mine’s lifetime. The tribunal relied on his statement.

State honours

Mubarakmand has been conferred with state honors for his services to the country by the Government of Pakistan. He is the recipient of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz ; Hilal-e-Imtiaz ; and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, which is the highest civil honor of Pakistan. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, inducted by Ishfaq Ahmad in 2000.