Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan.....Hero or Villain?

[PlanetPakistan]

The father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons devolpment program. In 1998 this guy was on top of the world. Many saw him as one of the greatest Pakistanis ever but in In January 2004 he confessed on national TV of having been involved in a clandestine international network of nuclear weapons technology proliferation from Pakistan to Libya, Iran and North Korea. On February 5, 2004 after a lengthy discussion General Musharraf, announced that he had pardoned him. So now do you guys think that President Mushraf made him a scape goat? because from what i understand he has been put in house arrest and was never able to tell his side of the story to any outsider!

 

[PlanetPakistan]

villian*

 

[Asim2Good]

He was, he is and will be Hero for Pakistan
don't care wat he (or our Govt. ) did/give technology to other countries.
Alot of European countries have passed same technology to alot of countries as well.

 

[sneekysneeky]

HERO... brilliant guy... my avatar wouldnt be here today if it werent for him...

 

[sehsan]

HERO, the best thing happend to pakistan......if he wouldn't have been there, then hamrai india na lay liye hoti

 

[Big Daddy]

In todays world, the terms, Hero or Villan are directly dependent on the color of the passport.

 

[Invictus]

He is just a man. A great man but in the end he has his limitations just like the rest of us. I dont believe for a minute that it was "his" network as they say it was. You cannot sell necular secrets and make truck loads of money without having the top brass involved. In the end someone had to put his/her hand up and pay the price. I guess he was the only option available. Who else could've taken the blame and got away with what Dr. Q.A.Khan got away with.

 

[Rana]

In todays world, the terms, Hero or Villan are directly dependent on the color of the passport.

agreed

 

[TAK]

In January 2004 he confessed on national TV of having been involved in a clandestine international network of nuclear weapons technology proliferation from Pakistan to Libya, Iran and North Korea.

hardly a villain in any shape of form for doing that - if he did it - any of those countries hostile to pakistan or likeley to be?

he's only a viallin in the eyes of those people who beleive only the western nations shoud be allowed means to defend themselves

 

[MMA]

In January 2004 he confessed on national TV of having been involved in a clandestine international network of nuclear weapons technology proliferation from Pakistan to Libya, Iran and North Korea.

yes but wasn't this after Khadafi told america that he received the technologie from pakistan

 

[suhaib]

he is a hero,him being under house arrest, is just news to make bush happy.

i wouldnt blame him for selling the secrets either, if i got that much cash i would have done the same thing plus its his secrets so he can do whatever he wants with it.

 

[ShowStopper]

What a stupid Question.

 

[Aurangzeb]

hero #1...

 

[prem]

Dr. AQ Khan was a normal scientist who happened to be at the right place at the right time. His work in Holland exposed him directly to the technology that was needed for enrichment. He used this knowledge to he make the bomb. He was no Abdus Salam or Abdul Kalam. His expolits were restricted to a single project , very likely technology he learnt from someone else. That being said , its hard for me to believe he was a lone wolf as far as proliferation is concerned

 

[robosapien]

totally agree with prem.

It's hard to imagine that intelligence was unaware of his activities. I saw him in an engineering convention in pak and he had more security than president tarar. I think by doing confession and taking the balme on himself, he has served pakistan and saved military the blushes against media and world.

 

[Noman]

totally agree with prem.

It's hard to imagine that intelligence was unaware of his activities. I saw him in an engineering convention in pak and he had more security than president tarar. I think by doing confession and taking the balme on himself, he has served pakistan and saved military the blushes against media and world.

agree with u and Invictus!!

someone needed to take the blame,,, god knows how many money Pakistan goverment/millitary made to give the secretPLan out to those countries...... He is A hero for Pakistan and muslim world...he had to take the blame, if he didnt did that, Pakistan would have been worse place than Aghanistan/Iraq

 

[Aurangzeb]

Dr. AQ Khan was a normal scientist who happened to be at the right place at the right time. His work in Holland exposed him directly to the technology that was needed for enrichment. He used this knowledge to he make the bomb. He was no Abdus Salam or Abdul Kalam. His expolits were restricted to a single project , very likely technology he learnt from someone else. That being said , its hard for me to believe he was a lone wolf as far as proliferation is concerned

you're right...he ain't as ugly as abdul kalam...

 

[PlanetPakistan]

From what i understand General forced him to apologize to the entire nation on National TV in English so everyone in the world can see that the PAK government had nothing to do with it. But as some of you said it's quite hard to believe that A Q Khan can keep such a huge network a secert for such a long time! During the late 90s and early 00s A Q Khan was making 12-13 trips of N Korea per year and during 2002 a satellite image caught a Pakistani plane on the N Korean nuclear headquarter! How can Mushraff not know what was going on?

 

[PlanetPakistan]

Dr. AQ Khan was a normal scientist who happened to be at the right place at the right time. His work in Holland exposed him directly to the technology that was needed for enrichment. He used this knowledge to he make the bomb. He was no Abdus Salam or Abdul Kalam. His expolits were restricted to a single project , very likely technology he learnt from someone else. That being said , its hard for me to believe he was a lone wolf as far as proliferation is concerned

I don't think so! The guy was a genius! His "ways" were quite unique, he had the ability to make all these bombs with "loose change" so to speak! For example if there are 20 steps to make a bomb AQ Khan would find a way to make it in 10!

 

[prem]

Auranagez , why is it so hard for you to be objective about an analysis. PP , I diagree , infact both US intelligence and UN commitees see a direct and almost exact corelation to his work in pakistan and his employment in URENCO with hardly any changes. Furthermore he is wanted for espionage in Holland. I am not belittling his achievements , it still takes a lot of brain to get anything to work, but I doubt if he is the genius that people claim he is . Abdus Salam on the other had is a proven innovator as is Abdul Kalam with projects on nuclear, missile , UAvs etc.

 

[Invictus]

Auranagez , why is it so hard for you to be objective about an analysis. PP , I diagree , infact both US intelligence and UN commitees see a direct and almost exact corelation to his work in pakistan and his employment in URENCO with hardly any changes. Furthermore he is wanted for espionage in Holland. I am not belittling his achievements , it still takes a lot of brain to get anything to work, but I doubt if he is the genius that people claim he is . Abdus Salam on the other had is a proven innovator as is Abdul Kalam with projects on nuclear, missile , UAvs etc.

Are you implying that it does'nt take a genius to father a nuclear program. Whatever the means or however he did it is subjective to opinion. But to start a nuclear program and take it all the way to finally create a nuclear bomb in my opinion does take a genuis. Now again compairing who is a bigger genius is a subjective debate. Just alot of brains might help you get a decent job at Microsoft or something but to make a nuclear bomb it takes a little more then that.

 

[prem]

I am implying that some of his scientific methods were unethical which in my eyes make him 'not great'. His abrupt quiting of his job in Holland , the uncanny almost exact structure of the enrichment apparatus , the fact that really thats the only thing he worked on ( nothing on missile technology , nothing on controlling the reaction , no thermo nuclear work ), the fact that he had a wrong degree , the fact that he was not a profilic publisher , that western scientists in the nuclear field see him as an usurper.

"He's an extremely proud man and does not want to have the rest of the world believe that he got the centrifuges by stealing the designs," says Matthew Bunn, a nuclear expert at Harvard University.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0202/p25s01-wosc.html

Like I said he was at the right places and the right time , in Holland for enrichment , in Pakistan when the nation needed a bomb and later a hero. A good manager probably , a great scientist unlikely .

 

[Invictus]

Prem yaar you cannot change the argument right in the middle of the debate. Your argument was that he is not a genius rather just someone with 'alot of brain". Now it is that he is "not great". Who is great and who is not is highly subjective to opinion.
I am not arguing his greatness. All I am saying is this "Whatever the means or however he did it is subjective to opinion. But to start a nuclear program and take it all the way to finally create a nuclear bomb in my opinion does take a genuis". Please enlighten me if you dont believe that this premise is true.

 

[madaboutlfc]

I am implying that some of his scientific methods were unethical which in my eyes make him 'not great'. His abrupt quiting of his job in Holland , the uncanny almost exact structure of the enrichment apparatus , the fact that really thats the only thing he worked on ( nothing on missile technology , nothing on controlling the reaction , no thermo nuclear work ), the fact that he had a wrong degree , the fact that he was not a profilic publisher , that western scientists in the nuclear field see him as an usurper.

"He's an extremely proud man and does not want to have the rest of the world believe that he got the centrifuges by stealing the designs," says Matthew Bunn, a nuclear expert at Harvard University.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0202/p25s01-wosc.html

Like I said he was at the right places and the right time , in Holland for enrichment , in Pakistan when the nation needed a bomb and later a hero. A good manager probably , a great scientist unlikely .

youre talking ***** sunshine..

 

[Aurangzeb]

I am implying that some of his scientific methods were unethical which in my eyes make him 'not great'. His abrupt quiting of his job in Holland , the uncanny almost exact structure of the enrichment apparatus , the fact that really thats the only thing he worked on ( nothing on missile technology , nothing on controlling the reaction , no thermo nuclear work ), the fact that he had a wrong degree , the fact that he was not a profilic publisher , that western scientists in the nuclear field see him as an usurper.

"He's an extremely proud man and does not want to have the rest of the world believe that he got the centrifuges by stealing the designs," says Matthew Bunn, a nuclear expert at Harvard University.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0202/p25s01-wosc.html

Like I said he was at the right places and the right time , in Holland for enrichment , in Pakistan when the nation needed a bomb and later a hero. A good manager probably , a great scientist unlikely .

i really don't see the point of your argument...does india judge its heroes based on their IQ levels? so just because, in your view, kalam is smarter pakistani's should abandon AQ khan as a hero? what kind of retarded logic is that?

Furthermore, western scientists can kiss my right asscheek...who really cares what they think?...pakistani's don't worship the west like indians do...

 

[prem]

Well Invictus,

Thanks for your patience. Well if you want sematics here goes - A genuis is one who has brain power period. There are plenty of people the world over - 1 every million has enough of a brain to achieve. There is absolutely nothing special about being a genuis apart from having a god given gift. Only when a person uses his intellect does society notice him. And when he is noticed for what he truly contributed he is great,That was my implication with the term 'great.' Society has certainly noticed Mr. AQ. Khan cause he gave Pakistan the bomb - granted. But to classfy him as a great scientist which in effect is what you are all doing would mean he has contributed to the scientific community , made quantum leaps as far as his work is concerned - now has he ??

It is important that we chose our heros with great care - here is a guy who quite frankly stole secrets from a lab and used the exact enrichment techonlogy to develop a bomb. It is very hard for me to aspire or recognise a man who does not has the courage to acknowledge the fact that he used the blueprints. My ex roomie is a metallurgist and we have had a very detailed discussion on this mans achievements . It may come as a surprize to many of you that he was not even charge of the nuclear weapons program in pakistan.

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/AQKhan.html

To me he is a worldly wise pretender who has lucky to be in the right place at the right time

And Aurangazeb , I guess you find Mr. AQ Khan attractive unlike his Indian counter part. Ah well to each his own - am not really into guys and looks is not my parameter when judging a scientist.

PS: This in no way undermines the scientific capacity of the Pakistani research community, just that to me this man is over hyped. You would be surprized to know that a large portion of people in the nuclear circles in pakistan actually share this sentiment!

 

[robosapien]

Well Invictus,

Thanks for your patience. Well if you want sematics here goes - A genuis is one who has brain power period. There are plenty of people the world over - 1 every million has enough of a brain to achieve. There is absolutely nothing special about being a genuis apart from having a god given gift. Only when a person uses his intellect does society notice him. And when he is noticed for what he truly contributed he is great,That was my implication with the term 'great.' Society has certainly noticed Mr. AQ. Khan cause he gave Pakistan the bomb - granted. But to classfy him as a great scientist which in effect is what you are all doing would mean he has contributed to the scientific community , made quantum leaps as far as his work is concerned - now has he ??

It is important that we chose our heros with great care - here is a guy who quite frankly stole secrets from a lab and used the exact enrichment techonlogy to develop a bomb. It is very hard for me to aspire or recognise a man who does not has the courage to acknowledge the fact that he used the blueprints. My ex roomie is a metallurgist and we have had a very detailed discussion on this mans achievements . It may come as a surprize to many of you that he was not even charge of the nuclear weapons program in pakistan.

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/AQKhan.html

To me he is a worldly wise pretender who has lucky to be in the right place at the right time

And Aurangazeb , I guess you find Mr. AQ Khan attractive unlike his Indain counter part. Ah well to each his own - am not really into guys and looks is not my parameter when judging a scientist.

PS: This in no way undermines the scientific capacity of the Pakistani research community, just that to me this man is over hyped. You would be surprized to know that a large portion of people in the nuclear circles in pakistan actually share this sentiment!

well, the original discussion was about an opinion if Dr AQ khan is a hero or not. I think he has served pakistan like many other scientists who are not in the limelight. I agree that he was govenment's media man on nuclear issue. As far as i know, Dr. Khan's laborotories were not involved in the making of the bomb. This project was mainly carried out by PAEC and it's subsidries. But as we know that his institution was running the enrichment plant and it's quite clear that how important is that process (iran's case is an example). Besides, his institution had also been involved in many defence related projects like ghauri missile and others.
Other than that, he's also the patron of GIK engg institute in pakistan and it was all his project.

I think he has done enough to be considered as a national hero and as far as pakistan is concerned he is better than those egotist geniuses who live abroad, get lucrative salaries and dont care about pakistan.

 

[prem]

Robosapien,
Fair enough. That is a pretty balanced assesment!

 

[Aurangzeb]

And Aurangazeb , I guess you find Mr. AQ Khan attractive unlike his Indian counter part. Ah well to each his own - am not really into guys and looks is not my parameter when judging a scientist.

ahahahah...damn dude, are you in like grade 4?...that was just terrible...

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Rubbishing media reports about his health, Pakistan's nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Saturday said that he is perfectly fine.

Rumours started circulating online earlier today that the health condition of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has worsened due to COVID-19.

In a video, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan expressed his displeasure over fake news about his health condition. "By the grace of Allah, I am fine,” he added.

The nuclear scientist said that some “ungrateful” people were spreading rumours about his health. He said that these people were spreading fake news about his health and death.

He maintained that the rumours have upset the nation, adding that he has been receiving calls since morning. “If something happens to me, you will be known by my family members,” said the nuclear scientist.

“Allah will surely keep me alive for few more years so as I could tease these people,” he hopped.

Nuclear scientist's heath improving: family

Earlier today, sources in Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan's family had told Geo News that his health is improving gradually.

They had said that he fell ill, but is feeling better now.

Dr Abdul Qadeer was shifted to a hospital's coronavirus ward a few days ago due to his critical condition.

According to his spokesman, Dr Khan was admitted at KRL hospital on August 26 after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr AQ Khan is considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear programme and is revered at home as a hero for building the Muslim world's first atomic bomb.