Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, known as the father of Pakistani nuclear weapons died at the age of 85 in Islamabad.
Sheikh Rasheed, Pakistan’s interior minister announced his death. According to him, A.Q Khan died due to Covid-19 difficulties which he contracted last month.
He was having breathing problems which is why he was brought to the KRL hospital in Islamabad. Doctors tried their best to treat him but his lungs eventually started to bleed. Shortly after around 6 AM Sunday morning, he passed away.
Funeral
A state funeral was announced because of his unmatched services. His funeral was held at Faisal Mosque around 3:30 PM. The public was also allowed to attend the funeral.
Many renowned cabinet members and parliamentarians attended the funeral.
Burial
Burial arrangements were made at Faisal Mosque. After the decision of his daughter, he was buried at the H-8 graveyard according to his last will.
Mohsin-e-Pakistan
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was famously known as Mohsin-e-Pakistan because of his services to the country. He was truly a visionary leader and was the first Pakistani to be awarded three presidential awards. He received the Order of Excellence twice and The Crescent of Excellence once. A.Q Khan served as the president of “Pakistan Academy of Sciences” from 1996-97.
Involvement in Nuclear Bomb Testing
A.Q Khan was a nuclear scientist. Pakistan conducted underground nuclear tests on 28th May 1998. The code name for these nuclear tests was Chagai-1. In 2004 he confessed to his role in the growth of nuclear bombs. After this, he was kept prisoner by government agencies.
Early life and Education
Dr. Adbul Qadeer Khan was born in Bhopal on 1st April 1936. His family was among the ones who migrated from India to Pakistan during the partition. He acquired his Bachelor in Physics from the University of Karachi. He went to material science at the Technical University in West Berlin but he later transferred to Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan acquired his doctoral degree from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
Reactions on passing away
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his deep sorrow at the demise of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. The Prime Minister said that he was a “national hero”.
President Dr. Arif Alvi also tweeted on this sad occasion and expressed his condolences.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shehbaz Sharif, F.M Qureshi and many other notable personalities also expressed their sadness on this occasion.
