Islamabad, Pakistan (AP) – Abdul Qadeer Khan, the controversial nuclear scientist revered in Pakistan as the father of its atomic bomb program but accused of proliferating nuclear technology to nations like Iran and North Korea, died Sunday at age 85.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed confirmed Khan’s death from respiratory issues after he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in August. The provincial government in Khan’s home province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced a day of mourning and complete shutdown on Sunday.
Born in 1936 in Bhopal, India, Khan migrated with his family to Pakistan after the 1947 Partition. He studied metallurgy in Europe and went on to play a pivotal role in Pakistan’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capability in the 1970s and 80s amid tensions with rival India.
In 1976, Khan founded the Khan Research Laboratories in Kahuta near Islamabad, where he successfully developed Pakistan’s uranium enrichment capability through an extensive procurement network that acquired centrifuge technology clandestinely from Europe and China.
Read More: Google Invests in Pakistan’s Digital Future with Scholarships and Training Initiatives
Pakistan conducted its first nuclear weapon tests in 1998, becoming the first Muslim-majority nation to gain nuclear status, in direct response to India’s nuclear tests that year.
While hailed as a national hero for delivering the “Islamic Bomb,” Khan’s global reputation took a hit when his private nuclear smuggling ring was exposed in 2004. He confessed on national television to running a proliferation network that supplied technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya over nearly two decades through a series of surreptitious deals and front companies based abroad.
Though pardoned by Pakistan’s government, Khan remained a subject of international investigations into nuclear proliferation. The U.S. government listed him as a nuclear black marketeer involved in the illicit sale of materials and technology to rogue states.
In Pakistan, however, Khan’s legacy was zealously guarded. Seen as the man who gave Pakistan the capability to deter nuclear rival India, he was showered with honors and praise even after his alleged wrongdoings came to light.
Despite the controversies surrounding his activities, many Pakistanis continued viewing Khan as a defiant symbol of the nation’s nuclear determination and achievement against long odds.
Khan is survived by his wife and two daughters. Pakistani officials have not released any details on his funeral arrangements yet.
Winston Mall: please contact +92-314-5166334 or visit https://winstonmall.com/
