Abdul Qadeer Khan - Legacy

Legacy

During his time in the atomic bomb project, Qadeer Khan pioneered his research in the condensed physics and co-authored articles in nuclear chemical reactions of the highly unstable isotopic particles in the controlled physical system. Qadeer Khan, along with other scientists, pioneered the research in nuclear thermodynamics to conduct studies in quantum mechanical behaviour of the nuclear particles. Abdul Qadeer Khan maintains his stance to use of controversial technological solutions to both military and civilian problems, including the use of military technologies for the civilian welfare. Khan also remained a vigorous advocate for defence strength through nuclear weapons and the Pakistan's nuclear deterrence development as sparing his country the fate of Iraq or Libya. In his recent interview, Abdul Qadeer Khan maintained that he has no regrets for what he did and maintained that:

akistan's motivation for nuclear weapons arose from a need to prevent "nuclear blackmail" by India. Had Iraq and Libya been nuclear powers, they wouldn't have been destroyed in the way we have seen recently.... If (Pakistan) had capability before 1971, we would not have lost half of our country after a disgraceful defeat. —Abdul Qadeer Khan,

Abdul Qadeer Khan faced heated and intense criticism from his fellow theorists whom he had worked with in the atomic bomb project, most notably theorist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy. In addition, Qadeer Khan's false claims that he was the "father" of the atomic bomb project since its inception and his personal attacks on Munir Khan caused even greater animosity by his fellow theorists, and most particularly, within the general physics community towards Qadeer Khan.

In 1999, in an editorial essay written at Chowk.com, Hoodbhoy wrote:

...(...)...(sic)... Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the pre-eminent architect of atomic bomb project....(...)..., is often called a "nuclear physicist" when, in fact, his degrees and academic accomplishments belong to the field of metallurgy, which is an engineering (discipline) rather than physics. When A.Q. Khan visited the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Quaid-e-Azam University about two months ago, he endeared himself even more to his admirers by wistfully saying "he wished he could come someday to this university to study physics...." —Pervez Hoodbhoy, 1998, source