Abdul Qadeer Khan: 'Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb' dies
The man regarded as the "father of Pakistan's nuclear
bomb", Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, has died aged 85 after being hospitalised
with Covid-19.
Dr Khan was hailed as a national hero for transforming his
country into the world's first Islamic nuclear power.
But he was also notorious for having smuggled nuclear
secrets to states including North Korea and Iran.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan had lost a
"national icon".
"He was loved by our nation bec[ause] of his critical
contribution in making us a nuclear weapon state," the prime minister
tweeted.
Known as AQ Khan, the scientist was instrumental in setting
up Pakistan's first nuclear enrichment plant at Kahuta near Islamabad. By 1998,
the country had conducted its first nuclear tests.
Coming shortly after similar tests by India, Dr Khan's work
helped seal Pakistan's place as the world's seventh nuclear power and sparked
national jubilation.
But he was arrested in 2004 for illegally sharing nuclear
technology with Iran, Libya and North Korea.
The revelations that he had passed on nuclear secrets to
other countries shocked Pakistan.
In a televised address, Dr Khan offered his "deepest
regrets and unqualified apologies".
Dr Khan was pardoned by Pakistan's then-president, Pervez
Musharraf, but he was held under house arrest until 2009.
The leniency of his treatment angered many in the West,
where he has been dubbed "the greatest nuclear proliferator of all
time".
But in Pakistan he remained a symbol of pride for his role
in boosting its national security.
"He helped us develop nation-saving nuclear deterrence
and a grateful nation will never forget his services," President Arif Alvi
said.
Source BBC
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