Remembering Dr. AQ Khan Through 4 Of His Most Significant Contributions For Pakistan

Architect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan (AQ Khan) passed away on Sunday morning owing to COVID related complications. He was buried at the H-8 graveyard after his state funeral was held at Faisal Mosque.

Dr. Khan has left a huge mark on the country’s history and the void following his death will never be filled again. To pay a tribute to all that he has done for Pakistan, we have compiled a list of some of his most prominent works.

Tribute To Dr. AQ Khan.

Pakistanis never forget this.

RT as a tribute please.

pic.twitter.com/obrjPZegGS

— Mir Mohammad Alikhan (@MirMAKOfficial) October 10, 2021

1. Father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb

Khan was hailed as the “father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb” because he helped transform his country into a nuclear power. He was a nuclear physicist who developed the atomic bomb for his country, and helped strenghten Pakistan’s strategic position both in the region and in the world.

Read: Here’s How Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal Is Superior Than India’s

2. Khan Research Laboratories (KRL)

The nuclear scientist was the first one to set up the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1976, which is Pakistan’s first frontier of uranium enrichment, and it is seen as one of the world’s most prestigious and outspoken research institutes. This is where all the testings for nuclear bomb took place. This institute deserves the credit for making Pakistan a nuclear power.

3. Metallurgy department in GIK

Other than making his homeland a nuclear power, the father of Pakistan’s nukes set up a metallurgy and material science department in Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology. Not just that, he also served as both executive member and director over there. So, owing to his contributions, the department was named after him, i.e. Dr. A. Q. Khan Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences.

4. Contributions to Pakistan’s space program

After making his country the seventh nuclear power in the world, Dr. AQ Khan ventured into space programs in Pakistan. He helped revamp the national space agency SUPARCO. Khan was a key figure in Pakistan’s space programme in the late 1990s, and was particularly responsbile for the development of Pakistan’s first Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).

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