Dr A.Q Khan.

Byline: MUJEEB ALI SAMO - Larkana

This letter is in recognition of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for his efforts in making Pakistan a nuclear state. It was his unwavering attitude which propelled Pakistan into becoming the seventh nuclear state in the world at the time, and the first Muslim country to achieve such a feat. On 28 May 1998, Pakistan announced that it had successfully conducted five nuclear tests. The Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission reported that the tests conducted on May 28 generated a seismic signal of 5.0 on the Richter scale, with a total yield of up to 40 KT. Dr A.Q. Khan claimed that one device was a boosted fission device and that the other four were sub-kiloton nuclear devices. On 30 May 1998, Pakistan tested another nuclear warhead with a reported yield of 12 kilotons. The tests were conducted in Baluchistan, bringing the total number of claimed tests to six, with another device reportedly being left un-detonated.

Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan should be revered as a national hero. A metallurgist trained in Germany, Khan brought with him the knowledge of gas centrifuge technologies that he had acquired via his position at the...