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Abdul Qadeer Khan

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Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
HI, NI & BAR (twice)
in 2017.
Born(1936-04-01)April 1, 1936
DiedOctober 10, 2021(2021-10-10) (aged 85)
NationalityPakistani
Alma materCatholic University of Leuven
Delft University of Technology
Known forPakistani Nuclear Program
AwardsHilal-i-Imtiaz (14-8-1989)
Nishan-i-Imtiaz (14-8-1996 and 23-3-1999)
Scientific career
FieldsMetallurgy
InstitutionsKhan Research Laboratories

Abdul Qadeer Khan (Urdu: عبدالقدیر خان; April 1, 1936 – October 10, 2021) was a Pakistani scientist and metallurgical engineer. He was a controversial figure. He is thought by many people to be one of the pioneers of Pakistan's nuclear program. Others disagree and claim he is only an opportunist who abused his position to obtain personal benefits and make a lot of money.[source?] His middle name is occasionally spelt Quadeer, Qadir or Gadeer. His given names are usually abbreviated to A.Q..

Khan claimed he had Pashtun ancestry[source?]. However, his ancestors supposedly immigrated to modern India, during the reign of Afghan Emperor Shahabuddin Ghouri[source?] from the district of Ghour of present Afghanistan.[source?] He was born in Bhopal State in British India in 1936.[source?] His father Abdul Ghafoor Khan served in the Education Department, British India[source?], and after retirement, settled in Bhopal.[source?]

He remained under arrest in Pakistan for quite some time, because he was accused of Nuclear proliferation to the North Korean government[source?] and also to Iran.[source?]

In August 2021, Khan was hospitalized in Islamabad after testing positive for COVID-19.[1] He died at the age of 85 in Islamabad from the infection on October 10, 2021.[2]

Several politicians in Pakistan, including the Prime Minister Imran Khan stated their tribute to him. In a post on Twitter, Imran Khan stated

"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 neighbour. For the people of Pakistan he was a national icon."

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References

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  1. "Dr Abdul Qadeer disappointed with PM Imran for not inquiring after his health". Dawn. September 13, 2021.
  2. "Nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan passes away at 85 in Islamabad". Dawn. 10 October 2021.
  3. https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1447080688797327360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447080688797327360%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.opindia.com%2F2021%2F10%2Fabdul-qadeer-khan-pakistan-nuclear-bomb-secrets-proliferation%2F

Further reading

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Other websites

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