ISLAMABAD: While much of the world tracked Pakistan's economic challenges in 2025, its scientists were quietly rewriting the country's technological narrative.
Where a quantum physicist simulated radar systems that could detect hypersonic threats invisible to conventional technology, a teenager from Rawalpindi outcompeted students from 70 nations to claim biology's biggest prize. Moreover, twin satellites, launched from opposite sides of the world, began beaming back images to monitor everything from melting glaciers to ripening crops.
The year 2025 also brought Pakistan's most significant scientific advances in decades, spanning quantum computing, space technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and human achievement on the global stage.
Quantum leap in defense tech
Dr. Zuhair Ahmed doesn't work in a laboratory with billion-dollar equipment. Instead, the chairman of the Centre of Excellence for Technology, Quantum, and AI Pakistan connects remotely to IBM's quantum processors to conduct cutting-edge research.
In October, his team achieved 99.1% quantum fidelity using a technique called Quantum Time Reversal Interferometry on IBM's 133-qubit Torino processor. The breakthrough demonstrates error correction essential for making quantum computers reliable enough for complex calculations.
However, Ahmed's November achievement grabbed more international attention: Simulating quantum radar capable of tracking stealth-coated hypersonic missiles. Using a three-qubit quantum circuit, the system locked onto simulated targets at 83.2 kilometers and calculated mid-air interception at roughly 40 kilometers altitude.
Both studies, published through SSRN and Elsevier, position Pakistan in an elite group of nations exploring quantum applications for defense and computing.
Eyes in orbit
Pakistan now has four satellites providing real-time intelligence from space, including two launched in 2025 through partnerships with China and Türkiye.
The HS-1 hyperspectral satellite was launched on October 19 from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Managed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, it captures hundreds of spectral bands invisible to the human eye, providing data crucial for predicting floods, monitoring glacial melt, and identifying geological risks along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The PAUSAT-1 CubeSat, a collaboration between Pakistan Air University and Istanbul Technical University, launched January 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Its multispectral imager achieves 1.5-meter ground resolution, sharp enough to distinguish individual vehicles in urban areas.
Pakistan also launched its first domestically produced observation satellite, PRSC-EO1, in January and the KS-1 agricultural monitoring satellite in July.
Rawalpindi student makes history
Abdul Raffay Paracha had competed internationally before, but never won gold. That changed in July at the International Biology Olympiad in the Philippines.
The Siddique Public School student became the first Pakistani to claim gold at the IBO since the country began participating in 2006. He competed against top students from more than 70 nations at the 35th edition of the competition.
The win validates a decade of investment by the STEM Careers Programme, a partnership between the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences that identifies and trains talented students.
AI for farmers
Mahroosh Umer's team didn't set out to win a United Nations competition. They wanted to solve a problem: how to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change without expensive consultants or technology.
Their solution, AgriGuard.AI, uses artificial intelligence to deliver climate-smart agricultural advice. In August, it won first place at the AI 4 Good Incubator 2025 in Dubai, part of the UN's AI for Good Global Summit organized by the International Telecommunication Union.
The team beat hundreds of global entries and received seed funding, mentorship and connections to scale the platform for farmers worldwide.
What it means
The 2025 achievements reflect both growing international partnerships and homegrown talent. The quantum research advances Pakistan's capabilities in cryptography and materials science. The satellites strengthen disaster preparedness. And the human achievements prove Pakistani students can compete at the highest levels.
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