<u>FROM HERO TO ZERO</u><br />
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. <br />
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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). <br />
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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 鎻榠shan-I-Imtiaz鎷
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. <br />
<br />
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). <br />
<br />
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 鎻榠shan-I-Imtiaz鎷