It is indeed a great achievement for India, that their pioneer satellite reached Mars last month. However, I would like to mention that in 60’s we were far ahead in rocket and space technology, due to some dedicated professionals. One of them was an unsung hero of the PAF, Air Commodore Wladyslaw Turowicz, who was one of the Polish Officers who became Pakistan citizen and joined the infant PAF, shortly after independence. He also served in the early sixties as the head of the maintenance of the equipment and systems of the PAF. He was a prominent and noted military and rocket scientist and an aeronautical engineer and is considered as one of the chief architects of Pakistan’s space program.
He was a leading figure in Pakistan’s eagerness to develop high-tech rocket and missile technology of its own. Mr. Turowicz was the administrator of Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) from 1967 to 1970 and it was due to his tenacious efforts, towards the development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology, that Pakistan is now one of the world leaders. He is highly respected in Pakistan, as a scientist and noted aeronautical engineer. He died in Karachi on Jan 8, 1980 and was buried at Christian Cemetery (Gora Qabristan). Unfortunately, advancement in space technology hasn’t been a great priority of our successive Governments for the last many decades. That’s why we have lagged behind. I wish that instead of lavish spending on useless priorities, our state had spent on appropriate sectors.
Karachi, October 5.