The Khushab Nuclear Complex is a federal research facility that is strategically located between the jurisdiction of the
PAF Base Mushaf and the
PAF Base Sakesar. It is known from literary investigation that complex is located in isolate and deep desert inside
Punjab, making it nearly impossible to conduct
counterproliferation strikes. There is no major civilian population but the lack of fresh water and arid terrain caused construction delays and raised costs., which is also known as
Khushab Production Reactor is a military nuclear reactor at the Kushab Nuclear Complex. There are four military reactors, that follows the designation of Khushab-1—4, while the fifth reactor is believed to be under construction. The Khushab reactors are the only nuclear power reactors that are purposed for the defense related development and are not subjected to
international inspections but its safety is professed by the federal nuclear regulatories of Pakistan. The actual design of the nuclear reactor is
highly classified but it is believed to be modeled after the India's
CIRUS and the Canadian
NRX or British
Magnox designs, according to the testimony provided in
Eating Grass in 2012. In
1973, the
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) completed a feasibility plans for the design of the 50–70
MWt reactor, which was to replicate the either
CIRUS,
MAGNOX, or
NRX-type reactor. In 1974,
Munir Ahmad Khan, its first design engineer, submitted the overall reactor design but the funding was ceased due to lack of local resources available at that time and the prioritization of mining uranium instead. In
1985, the
PAKNUR project was restarted as
Khushab Production Reactor with
S. B. Mahmood becoming its chief engineer and project manager. In
1987, the civil engineering construction began near
Jauharabad but at the area of command vicinity of the
PAF Base Mushaf. The construction and materials were provided as a joint venture of
Descon Engineering Inc.,
Ittefaq Steels Ltd., and the
HMC. Designing of the reactor was quiet difficult in the absence of international vendors, and the international community raised questions about Pakistan's capability to even design and produce a nuclear reactor. In
1990, a separate
Heavy-water reactor (HWR) design was approved when its designer, Dr. N. A. Javed (PhD in chemistry from
Karlsruhe Institute in Germany), was appointed its project manager. Difficulties in designing of the reactor continued throughout the years with one U.S. Department of Defense report commenting on the efforts which highlighted the country's limited capability and lacked the necessary testing environment for the nuclear materials. Despite the U.S. and the
Western skepticism, the engineering work at the site and the reactor designing continued by the PAEC. In
1996, the
PAKNUR eventually went into successful
criticality, and its designer Dr. N.A. Javed was promptly recognized of his efforts and services when federal
Government of Pakistan honored him with
Sitara-i-Imtiaz (
lit. Star of Excellence). ==Reactors==