Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan bids farewell to the world on Sunday, 10th of October, 2021. He died of the severe lung problems. Nevertheless, in August he had contracted the Covid-19 virus. He has been given a state-level funeral.
On his death, we The Planet Today pay a tribute over his tremendous contribution towards the country.
Who was Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan?
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is the Father of the Nuclear program. Because of him, Pakistan enjoys the title of World’s 7th nuclear power. He was a nuclear Physicist and metallurgical engineer.
In 1952, he migrates to Pakistan from India to contribute for a lifetime.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is the ever famous Pakistani nuclear scientist and a metallurgical engineer. Also, he has the honor of being badge as the founder of gas-centrifuge enrichment technology. Which helped Pakistan in the nuclear deterrent program. This national hero served Pakistan’s nuclear program for 25 years.
What had been Dr. Qadeer’s contributions?
Dr. Qadeer in the 1970s had worked in the Netherlands at a nuclear plant. However, due to his intelligence had gained fame there and had the access to restricted areas and documents. He also had the access to confidential gas centrifuge technology.
In December 1974, he came back to Pakistan. As in 1974 India conducted a nuclear test named as ” Smiling Buddha”. Which Triggered Khan to show his potential. He went to the then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and convinced him to opt for a Uranium route for building nuclear weapons.
He founded the Khan Research Laborites (KRL) in 1976.
Once being able to pull Pakistan as a a Nuclear power, he serves the Pakistani’s national space agency, SUPARCO. Thus, Pakistan’s first Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project and the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) is successful due to Khan’s contributions.
The credit of establishing engineering institutes across the country goes to Khan. At the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, there is a department by Dr. A.Q khan. It’s name is Dr. A. Q. Khan Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences.
Branches of Dr. A.Q khan schools are helping the children to have quality education. There is also a Dr. A. Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering at Karachi University.
The tragic allegations
Have you read the title of the article? Well, we had lost this gem long ago is political and foreign interests. Had the world been able to look at the capabilities of Khan and had been the Government of Pakistan been able to protect it. The world would have seen miracles.
It was blamed that Khan had been making publicity of the Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities. It was thought by the US that Pakistan is selling the technology to North Korea for the sake of Ballistic missile technology.
Nevertheless, for the September 11, 2001 on US it was alleged that Khan had sold the nuclear technology. However, he was forced to seek forgiveness and thus was put under a house arrest in 2004.
Yet, in later interviews, Khan says that he had no foreign property nor was a part of national betrayal. He had said that he had accepted all that under political pressure as it was the only escape.
We hope we are able to protect our treasures. As we did not lose Dr. A.Q now, we lost him long ago. His daughter says her father deserves more respect and honor. Which should have been given in his life.
Do you know of heroes who died unrecognized and uncherished?
