Dr A Q Khan remembered
DR Abdul Qadeer Khan, the creator of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, passed away. Mohsin-e-Pakistan Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan’s death is a great tragedy for the Pakistani nation.
Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan was a great personality who dedicated his knowledge, skills and experience to the strong defence of the beloved homeland, if they had not played a key role in advancing Pakistan’s nuclear programme, perhaps many more years have taken for Pakistan to bind by its nuclear power in the face of the nefarious intentions of its arch-enemy India and by then what would have been the situation?
No one can say anything about it. From this point of view, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan worked not only for the survival and stability of Pakistan but also made a relentless effort to establish peace and a balance of power in the region that cannot be forgotten.
He not only made the defence of the homeland invincible but also played a significant role in saving the state by taking on false accusations from all over the world. The Pakistani nation will be grateful for the services of Mohsin-e-Pakistan.
There is no doubt that many well-known names in Pakistan’s nuclear program have been showing the essence of their capabilities, but the name of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan has been prominent among all of them.
In May 1976, at the invitation of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, he participated in Pakistan’s atomic bomb program of Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL), renamed as Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) with his tireless work and selfless spirit carried out the seemingly impossible task of uranium enrichment in a short period.
President Zia-ul-Haq named the institute Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories for Dr Sahib’s selfless services.
In May 1998, under his leadership, Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear test at Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai district of Balochistan in response to India’s tests thus making Pakistan the seventh nuclear power in the world.
In recognition of Dr. A. Q. Khan’s services, he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz twice and Hilal-e-Imtiaz once. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was the pride of the Pakistani nation.
In connection with the services of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nation has blessed him with immense love and devotion.
The nation will always pay homage to its great benefactor, but it will also be sad that the way we have treated our great hero over the last twenty years, people don’t even treat their enemies like that, we should have defended our hero against the world powers, but Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan was kept under house arrest for the sake of baseless propaganda to save their lives.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan called the allegations against him a bundle of lies in his own life, but he refrained from revealing the secret, as it was feared that it would tarnish the country’s image.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan has passed away after living a difficult life with many secrets hidden in his heart. The nation is ashamed to say goodbye to the great hero with tears in her eyes as it has not been able to give even the basic rights to its Mohsin-e-Pakistan which is the right of every free Pakistani.
We should all think that what Dr. Sahib has given us, have we been able to give him something back, maybe nothing, because we all are priests of the dead, whom we do not remember all our lives, whom we despise in life, after death we become their admirers and lay flowers.
—The writer is a regular columnist, based in Lahore.
