FROM HERO TO ZERO
28th may 1998, is regarded as a golden day in the history of Pakistan. Pakistan became the 7th nuclear country in the world. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan widely proclaimed as the Father of Pakistan's atomic bomb and commonly referred to as A.Q. Khan, was the man who gave Islamic World its first Atomic Bomb and made Pakistan the 1st nuclear Islamic state. Pakistan's nuclear weapons program is a source of extreme national pride, and, as its father, A.Q. Khan -- who headed Pakistan's nuclear program for some 25 years is considered a national hero.

Abdul Qadeer Khan was born into a modest family in Bhopal, India, in 1935. In 1952 his family migrated by train to Pakistan during the partition of the subcontinent. After receiving his early education in Bhopal, Dr Abdul Quadeer Khan obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1960 from the University of Karachi. Then he went to study in Berlin, West Germany and achieved high competence through attending several courses in metallurgical engineering. He obtained the degree of Master of Science (Technology) in 1967 from Delft Technological University of Leuven, Belgium. In the 1970s, he took a job at a uranium enrichment plant run by the British-Dutch-German association. In 1976, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced to build "Islamic Bomb", a bomb for defense of all Islamic Countries. A.Q Khan who was in Holland was called by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to start nuclear program. Khan left his highly paid job at a Top Dutch Nuclear firm and returned to Pakistan. A.Q. Khan initially worked under Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), headed by Munir Ahmad Khan, for a short period but in July 1976, he joined the Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) in Pakistan and set up a uranium enrichment industrial plant. The target was to be achieved in the next five years. As a tribute to his services to Pakistan, during May 1981, the then president of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq renamed the Engineering Research Laboratories, Kahuta, as, Dr Abdul Quadeer Khan Research Laboratories (KRL).

The scientific contributions of Dr Khan have been recognized in several ways. As an active scientist and technologist, he has published more than 188 scientific research papers in international journals of high repute. He has been editor of a large number of books on metallurgy. His work on Industrial Uranium Enrichment Plant for peaceful application of nuclear technology has resulted in a breakthrough in the field of metallurgy and materials science. It is entirely due to his efforts that the process of enrichment of Uranium was successfully completed in Pakistan. This breakthrough ultimately resulted in the historic explosion of six nuclear bombs in May 1998. Not only this, but a significant development was also made with the successful test firing of Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles, Ghauri 1, in April 1998 and Ghauri II in April 1999. Dr Khan has received honorary degrees of Doctor of Science from the University of Karachi in 1993, Doctor of Science from Baqai Medical University on (1998), Doctor of Science from Hamdard University, Karachi (1999) and Doctor of Science from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore in December 2000. For his contributions in the field of science and technology, the President of Pakistan conferred upon Dr Khan the award of Nishan-I-Imtiaz 1996 and 1998. Dr Khan is the only Pakistani to have received the highest civil award of “Nishan-I-Imtiaz’’ twice. He is also a recipient of Hilal-I-Imtiaz.

He is a member of many national and international professional organizations including the Pakistan Institute of Metallurgical Engineers; Pakistan Institute of Engineers; and Institute of Central and West Asian Studies.He is a Member of the Institute of Materials, London; American Society of Metals (ASM); Canadian Institute of Metals (CIM) and Japan Institute of Metals (JIM). Prof. A Q Khan sits on the Boards of Governors of numerous universities and institutes. He is a member of the Executive Committee, GIK Institute of Engineering and Technology; Member, Board of Governors, Hamdard University; Member, Board of Governors, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology; Member Syndicate, Quaid-E-Azam university, Islamabad ; and Member, Board of Governors, International Islamic University, Islamabad.
In 1990, Pakistan President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, praised A.Q. Khan's contributions to the nuclear field and declared that, "The name of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan will be inscribed in golden letters in the annals of the national history of Pakistan." And even Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has acknowledged his "invaluable contribution not only in the nuclear field but also in other fields including defense production."

Mr. Khan’s golden aura began to dim in March 2001 when president general Pervaiz Masharraf, under U.S pressure removed him from the chairmanship of KRL and made him special advisor on strategic and KRL affairs. The most famous Muslim Scientist alive Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan who fathered the "Islamic Bomb" was taken into Custody on America and IAEA's request. The military dictator Pervez Musharraf ordered the arrest of Mr. Khan. The military government also announced that Dr. A.Q Khan had confessed of transferring the Nuclear Technology and Raw material to North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Libya. In February 2004, as Libya renounced its nuclear weapons programs and began to divulge its related secrets, some facts came to light about the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, Dr. Khan was revealed as the leader of an extensive black market for nuclear technology.

Now the father of the first nuclear bomb in the Islamic world is at the center of allegations about the proliferation of nuclear know-how to North Korea, Iran and Libya. He is under house arrest and unofficially charged with having sold nuclear secrets for personal gain. His assets are frozen and his movements are restricted. He has been under very strict House arrest and banned from talking to Media and to any of his relatives or friends by any medium .No one has been allowed to enter or leave his home.

On Feb. 16th 2004 Pakistan's top scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan suffered a heart attack and was treated at his residence and his condition was stated to be critical. A newspaper also quoted that the condition of Khan and his Dutch wife Hamdarina was "bad." "Both of them are suffering from high blood pressure and they have been given potency doses by the doctors of the KRL hospital". It said in view of his "poor cardiac" condition, a heart specialist along with a cardiac machine was "secretly" sent to the nuclear scientist's residence. Khan had been suffering from pain in his left hand since he was questioned by intelligence agencies for the past few months for his alleged involvement in transferring nuclear technology.

The extent to which the Pakistani government was involved in the activities of Dr. Khan remains unclear. Many analysts suggest the government’s position was somewhere between inactive acceptance and active participation, but few claim the government was completely unaware. Dr. Khan and other weapons scientists were followed by Pakistani security officials at all times and were associated with the elite of the military establishment. Revelations of Dr. Khan’s activities placed President Musharraf in the position of either punishing one of Pakistan’s most famous and beloved countrymen or facing criticism and possible sanctions (economic or military) from important partners, particularly the United States.
At last on Wednesday 4th February 2004 in a speech on Pakistan television he confessed that he acted without authorization in selling nuclear technology to other governments. A.Q. Khan admitted selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. He asked for clemency and forgiveness, but the Pakistani government made no public announcement about whether he is to be prosecuted or not. But undoubtedly we can say that his work has given Pakistanis a sense of pride, security and has been a great scientific achievement. .Pakistani People have blamed that the General has bowed his head down against the Israeli and American Lobby and are Praying that may Allah Protect Pakistan and A Q Khan from the trap of Devilish forces especially America, Israel and India.

So this was all how the life of a national and most beloved hero was turned into zero and was compelled to apologize before the nation.

plz share ur valueable comments on this topic
regards

In my opinion, AQ Khan was surely a hero!
As far as proliferation is concerned, the US & Israel should be the first to apologize for proliferation.
Shimon Peres is known to have stolen enriched-uranium--most probably, red Uranium Oxide (U2O5) powder, carried in canned form in trucks--from Pensylvennia. Far ahead of Iran, Israel possesses hundreds of nukes, as revealed by Vanunu, and now officially confessed by Ehud Olmert AND is also a threat to peace since its birth; an obvious example is the recent aggression against Lebanon. They should be the first ones to apologize.
US was the first to experiment their nukes on the innocent citizens of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, whose descendants still (probably) curse Roosevelt & Trueman. They have yet to rob a score of US states for their Holocaust at the hands of US hitlers.
Furthermore, how did the nuclear technology reach USSR? Verily, from the proliferators within the US!!!
And who made India a nuclear state under the veil of providing civil nuclear technology???

So, its unjust to single out AQ Khan, or ask him to apologize, or label him a zero. He's still a hero!

And yeah, I don't agree with the NPT which allows five states to threat any smaller nation of nuking, when it raises voice against their unjust policies, acts, etc. Barbaric warriors, destroying and invading smaller states, whereever & whenever they choose, sitting on their nukes, cruise missiles & H-bombs, and talking about world peace is no less than a joke.

Best regards,
Abdul Rehman.