After a meeting with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Abdul Qadeer Khan, with backing of Bhutto, formed Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) and took over the uranium project from PAEC. Abdul Qadeer Khan disliked the idea of PAEC getting involved in his work; instead he advocated for Corps of Engineers to lead the construction of the suitable operational enrichment plant. The E-in-C chose Brigadier Zahid Ali Akbar, a system engineer notable for leading the construction of GHQ, Pakistan Army's Combatant Headquarter. Brigadier Zahid Ali Akbar chose the city of Kahuta near Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, for the operational enrichment facility. In 1983, Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator and Chief of Army Staff General Ziaul Haq subsequently renamed it from Engineering Research Laboratories to Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). By early 1981, the enrichment project was fully functional.
Despite of Khan's leading the uranium enrichment programme, Abdul Qadeer Khan was not invited to the secret cold-test of a device, codename Kirana-I that was conducted in 1983 by the PAEC under Munir Ahmad Khan. In 1984, Abdul Qadeer Khan's KRL claimed to carry out its own nuclear test. However, this seemed unsuccessful as PAEC had already carried out the test in 1983. In 1984, KRL had produces the first and fresh batch of weapon-grade uranium loosely based on the Zippe Type technology.
Despite of Khan's leading the uranium enrichment programme, Abdul Qadeer Khan was not invited to the secret cold-test of a device, codename Kirana-I that was conducted in 1983 by the PAEC under Munir Ahmad Khan. In 1984, Abdul Qadeer Khan's KRL claimed to carry out its own nuclear test. However, this seemed unsuccessful as PAEC had already carried out the test in 1983. In 1984, KRL had produces the first and fresh batch of weapon-grade uranium loosely based on the Zippe Type technology.
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