[4] In addition to his secretive role in the atomic bomb feasibility in the 1970s, he took up charge on collecting military intelligence on the India's nuclear program but later in the 1980s, he was appointed as an Engineer-in-Chief at the Army GHQ.

[9] In 1967, Lieutenant-Colonel Akbar was directed towards joining the National Defence University (NDU), along with then-Lt-Col. Mirza Aslam Beg, and graduated with MSc in War studies in 1971.

[11] During this time, he aided to oversee in the matters of civil engineering of the Army GHQ at the vicinity of the JS HQ in Rawalpindi to President Illahi.

: 146–149 [12]: 59–60 [13] Acting on advice from Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Prime Minister Bhutto turned to his army chief General Zia-ul-Haq to find a capable engineering manager.

Akbar had been well known of his involvement in the civil engineering projects with the Pakistan Army, and was approved by then-army chief General Zia-ul-Haq to be part of the clandestine atomic bomb programme.

Akbar surveyed the isolated and remote Kahuta Tehsil and decided to construct the national laboratory with Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan being the chief scientist.

: 144 [12][15] A draft report was submitted to then- Defence Secretary Ghulam Ishaq Khan who after conferring with General Ali Nawab authorized the acquiring of the land surveyed by the Corps of Engineers in 1976.: 145–146 [12] Leading the massive construction efforts of building the national laboratory, Brig.

: 157 [18] After the departure of Mubashir Hassan, Major General Akbar formed the committee that was assigned for meeting the needs for the classified projects and to supervise the financial funding, concerning the development of centrifuge facilities at Kahuta.

[17] Major-General Akbar took responsibility of making critical decisions on prioritizing the various methods of gas centrifuges and acquiring raw materials needed by the scientists and engineers.

[17] On foreign affairs, Lieutenant general Akbar assisted President Zia on intelligence matters to deftly neutralized international pressure by tagging Pakistan's atomic bomb programme to the aggressive designs of neighboring India's nuclear program.

Khan, his predecessor, gave him a detailed briefing about this operational plan and particularly stressed the importance of intelligence keeping a watch on Indian moves beyond Leh in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

[21] After the Siachen conflict in 1984, Lieutenant general Akbar was appointed by President Zia as the chairman of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), an energy conglomerate, as a Secondment.

: 74–75 [25] Prime Minister Junejo directed Lieutenant general Akbar to take over the directorship of the DESTO, which was voided since President Zia kept him as chair of the WAPDA.

: 264 [22] In 1989, Lieutenant general Akbar was posted back at the DESTO, eventually taking over the directorship, where he became involved in classified and sensitive projects of the military.

: 73 [25] His tenure eventually ended when most projects were moved to KRL and SRC, and realized that the postwar military and the civilian governments would not be given any assignment to him and as approaching in importance the one he had held the program in Kahuta.