ABDUL QADEER KHAN

BIRTH AND DEATH

Birth: 4/1/1936     Death: 10/10/2021

OCCUPATION

scientist

BIOGRAPHY SUMMARY

Abdul Qadeer Khan,, known as A. Q. Khan, was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer who is colloquially known as the father of Pakistan's atomic weapons program.

NOTABLE WORK

WHY THEY MATTER

Abdul Qadeer Khan was intellectually unique and groundbreaking for his pivotal role in spearheading Pakistan's atomic weapons program, leading to the country's successful development of nuclear weapons. His expertise as a nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer enabled him to make significant contributions to Pakistan's nuclear capabilities, solidifying his legacy as a key figure in the history of nuclear proliferation.

FAMOUS QUOTE

A. Q. Khan, the chief of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program—who remains a nationalist hero even though his smuggling network evidently sold nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya, and Iran—recently invoked the Bangladesh war as an apology for his dangerous brand of nuclear proliferation: “Had Iraq and Libya been nuclear powers, they wouldn’t have been destroyed in the way we have seen recently. If we had had nuclear capability before 1971, we would not have lost half of our country—present-day Bangladesh—after disgraceful defeat.”Bass, G. J. (2014). The Blood telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a forgotten genocide. Epilogue

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