The Pakistan Antarctic Programme (), abbreviated as PAP) is a scientific administrative division of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) which represents the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

on the

continent A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. The program coordinates scientific research and operational support in the region. The program is funded by the Pakistan Science Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Currently, the PAP maintains and controls two polar stations in the region: the Jinnah Antarctic Station (JNS), and the Polar Research Cell (PRC), which was established by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to co-ordinate all Antarctic related activities.

History

The Antarctic Programme was launched by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), with the full support of

Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...

's Naval Weapons Engineering Division (NWED). In 1991, Prime minister

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

established the programme under the direction of the Navy. On 15 June 1992, Pakistan became an Associate Member of the

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council, International Science Council (ISC). SCAR coordinates international scientific research efforts in Antarctica, including th ...

, but did not accede to the

Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of A ...

due to economic reasons. In January 1991, Pakistan dispatched its first expedition to Greater Antarctica under the auspices of the NIO. As the programme was led by the Navy, the PN dispatched a small group of Pakistan Marines, along with the team of scientists on board the destroyer PNS Tariq and the research vessel PNS Behr Paima. Facilities were quickly established in the region, and Jinnah Antarctic Station (JNS) was commissioned. Pakistan's second Antarctic expedition happened in 1992 and 1993. This expedition visited the 1991 station (Jinnah I), and then went on to establish a new field station at a second location (Jinnah II). This expedition also established an unmanned automatic Weather Station at a third location (the Iqbal Observatory), from which data are transmitted to Pakistan via the Argos Satellite System. In 2006, Pakistan established the National Institute of Oceanography's Polar Research Cell (PRC). A number of national organisations are involved in Antarctic activities and are active participants in the Pakistan Antarctic Programme. In October 2010, a source with the NIO stated that Pakistan is developing a full-fledged permanent base in

, which will allow researchers to carry out year-round operations. Then, in October 2020, the

Director General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of the NIO stated that while she was keen to see Pakistani researchers return to Antarctica, she considered it more feasible for them to participate in multinational Antarctic expeditions, as independent expeditions were considered too expensive.

Objectives

The main objectives of the Pakistan Antarctic Programme are to undertake multidisciplinary research and survey the Antarctic region, with particular attention to geology and

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

. Studies also include environmental and

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

research. Pakistan's research activities are in conformity with the tenets of the

(SCAR), of which Pakistan is an associate member. Pakistanis have gained experience and capability by launching two major expeditions, thus strengthening

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

's ability to conduct research in the harsh

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

environment. Apart from this, useful environmental and oceanographic data has been collected in the region, and relevant technical information on Antarctic affairs has been provided to the Pakistani government.

Stations

Pakistan maintains two summer research stations and one weather observatory in the vicinity of the Sør Rondane Mountains,

Queen Maud Land Queen Maud Land () is a roughly region of Antarctica Territorial claims in Antarctica, claimed by Norway as a dependent territory. It borders the claimed British Antarctic Territory 20th meridian west, 20° west, specifically the Caird Coast, ...

, in

Eastern Antarctica East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority (two-thirds) of the Antarctica, Antarctic continent, lying primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere south of the Indian Ocean, and separated from West Antarctica by the Trans ...

. The Jinnah Antarctic Station is the centre of most operations, and travel to and from Antarctica is done through the airfield at the JAS. The NIO expressed interest in establishing a perennial Antarctic station in October 2010, but as of March 2023 the plans have not been realised.

References

External links

Antarctic Research
National Institute of Oceanography, Karachi {{Science and technology in Pakistan Science and technology in Pakistan Science and technology in Antarctica Nawaz Sharif administration Naval operations involving Pakistan P