Dr Abdus Salam’s London house declared UK national heritage site
He was the first Pakistani to win a Nobel Prize
Photo: AFP
The London residence of scientist Dr Abdus Salam was declared a national heritage site by the UK government after a blue plaque was installed there on November 27.
The plaque was put outside his house in Putney where he lived from 1957 till his death in 1996. Dr Salam was the founder of the Theoretical Physics Department at the Imperial College in London.
The Plaque reads, “Abdus Salam 1926-1996, Physicist, Nobel Laureate and Champion of Science in developing countries, lived here”.
He was the first Pakistani scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979 for his contribution to the electroweak unification theory. He was also the first Pakistani to be awarded the Nobel Prize at all.
“A blue plaque on the house in Putney where he lived for 40 years is a fitting tribute to [the] Nobel Laureate,” Professor Micheal Duff, a professor at the Imperial College who completed his PhD under the supervision of the scientist said.
“Abdus Salam, who was not only one of the finest scientists of the twentieth century, having unified two of the four fundamental forces of nature, but who also dedicated his life to the betterment of science and education in the developing world.”
A blue plaque, a symbol of English Heritage pride, is placed outside historically significant buildings to honour the people and organizations who have lived or worked there.
Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin and Alan Turing are some other recipients of the blue plaque.
While the announcement was made last month, the news is still being shared by multiple Pakistanis on social media platforms such as Twitter.
Dr. Abdus Salam’s residence in Britain has been selected for the Blue Plaque,dedicated to scientists and is declared as a National Heritage.
— Shaukat Javed (@shaukatpsp) December 11, 2020
The plaque reads “Abdus Salam 1926-1996, Physicist, Nobel Laureate and Champion of Science in developing countries, lived here”. pic.twitter.com/uvtxJewqdL
Last month, English Heritage unveiled a Blue Plaque to mark the home of Prof. Abdus Salam. A kind human being apart from being a public intellectual of the highest order but still NOT celebrated by his own country. This is probably one of the saddest truth that plagues Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/gRIT1eCm1k
— Mudasir A Yatoo (@YatooSahib) December 4, 2020
A few years back, Dr Salam’s house in the Jhang Tehsil was declared a national monument by the government of Pakistan. It is protected under the Antiquities Act, 1975.
