Khan Research Laboratories
The Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories (shortened as KRL), is a federally funded research and development laboratory located in Kahuta at a short distance from Rawalpindi in Punjab, Pakistan. Established in 1976, the laboratory is best known for its central role in Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and its understanding the nuclear science.
Former name | See note |
|---|---|
| Established | 31 July 1976 |
Field of research | National security Fundamental science |
| Location | Kahuta in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Affiliations |
|
Operating agency | Strategic Plans Division |
| Website | krl.com.pk |
Established in 1976, it was originally organized as a top-secret plant dedicated to enrichment as a response to the India's detonation of its first nuclear bomb in 1974. Chosen for its remote yet relatively accessible location from Rawalpindi. In the 1970s, the site was the cornerstone of the first stage of Pakistan's atomic bomb program, and serves as the center for conducting the nuclear scientific research.
It is globally known for its research in gas centrifuges to produce the enriched uranium; and in past, it has competed with the PINSTECH on wide variety of weapon designs but it is now have focused in civilian missions, including the national security, fusion science and supercomputing.
Its official name changed to Khan Research Laboratory (KRL) in 1981 by Presidential decree, which also allowed its status as a national defense laboratory.