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Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan

COVID-19 claims life of the ‘Father of Islamic Atom Bomb’ A Q Khan

ISLAMABAD: Nuclear Scientist and father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was suffering from mysterious respiratory ailment COVID-19, breathed his last here in a medical facility Sunday 10th of October, 2021 at 7.04AM at the age of 85. 

Ministry of Interior, by means of a PR informed: “In pursuance of announcement by Prime Minister of Pakistan, State Funeral shall be accorded to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. The national flag of Pakistan shall fly at half-mast on Sunday, 10th October, 2021.”

Taking to the Twitter Prime Minister Imran Khan informed that Dr. A Q Khan will be buried (at 3.30PM Sunday 10th of October, 2021) in Faisal Mosque as per his wishes. However, later the Interior Ministry told that the national hero shall be burred in the H8 graveyard according to the wishes of his family.

Earlier PM Tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr A Q Khan. He was loved by our nation bec of his critical contribution in making us a nuclear weapon state. This has provided us security against an aggressive much larger nuclear neighbor. For the people of Pakistan he was a national icon.”

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was born on 1st day of April, 1936 in Bhopal. During the Partition of the Sub-Continent, his family migrated to Karachi and lived in Kharadar (that was earlier part of Lyari). Following his initial education he proceeded to Holland and after acquiring an engineering degree in 1967, went  to Belgium for doctorate in metallurgical engineering.

A Q Khan was alarmed to learn about Indian Nuclear Test (Smiling Buddha) carried out in 1974 and offered his expertise to Z A Bhutto administration to develop a facility to make Pakistan’s atom bomb. He created Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1976.

While Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says India happens to harbor between 80 and 100 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan holds between 90 and 110, it has been insinuated that in the next five years Pakistan will be harboring more than 200 warheads.

Later in 2004, reacting on the evidence of nuclear proliferation provided by US, Dr. A Q Khan was subjected to a debriefing by military dictator general Pervez Musharraf. A Q Khan went to IHC against the Federal Government of Pakistan whose 2009 verdict declared his debriefing unconstitutional.

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M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.