Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan - The Great Scientist and Hero of Pakistan

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the great scientist, is the founder of the Pakistan’s Nuclear Program. He initiated and led the Pakistan’s effort to enrich uranium with gas centrifuges.

A.Q. Khan says, “Western governments continually tried to stop Pakistan from developing a nuclear weapon capability, but they were frustrated by the greed of their own companies: many suppliers approached us with the details of figures and numbers of instruments and materials ... in the true sense of the word, they begged us to pay for their goods.”

Abdul Qadeer Khan is born in Bhopal, India in 1936 and emigrated from India to Pakistan in 1947 with his family. He got an engineer's degree (Technology) in 1967 from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and the Doctorate degree in metallurgical engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Khan then joined the staff of the Physical Dynamics Research Laboratory (FDO) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

After India's first successful Nuclear test, Khan began to approach Pakistani government representatives - especially Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and PAEC (Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission) chairman, Munir Ahmad Khan  and offer his help for the Pakistan's nuclear program. The prime minister Bhutto accepted Khan's offer and took him charge of the uranium program.

With the consistent efforts of Abdul Qadeer Khan at Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan finally got the Nuclear device and tested it on May, 1998. Under the supervision of Khan, KRL also develped many other weapons - nuclear-capable weapons including Ghauri missile, the best waepon ever.

Khan's other contributions to Pakistan

• Dr. A. Q. Khan Department of Metallurgical Engineering and material sciences at GIK institute of Engineering sciences and Technology.
• Dr. A. Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering at Karachi University.
• Introduce Metallurgical engineering cources in many universities and colleges on Pakistan.
• Established Kahuta Research Laboratories.
• Write many columns on engineering disciplines and importance of Education.

Honors & Recognitions 

• Hilal-e-Imtiaz - civilian award by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
• Awarded honorary Doctorates degrees by many top universities of Pakistan

Abdul Qadeer Khan is the most intellectual and talented scientist, Pakistan produced ever, We are proud to have a great scientist, A.Q.Khan. May Allah give him a good health and happy life.