The outgoing year saw the many great personalities – from nuclear scientist, writers to TV personalities and sport legends – leaving this mortal world.
As another year comes to a close, here we take a look back at some of the notable people we lost in 2021.
Nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, often referred to as AQ Khan, passed away at the age of 85 in the country’s federal capital on October 10.
Born in 1936 in India, Dr. Qadeer immigrated along with his family to Pakistan in 1947 after the partition of the subcontinent.
He attended the University of Karachi where he completed his graduation. He was said to be influenced by the 1971 events, and the subsequent test of nuclear explosives by India in 1974, which led him to approach former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto expressing his desire to work for the nuclear program of the South Asian country.
He joined Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1976 and had already acquired its weapons by the 1980s but detonated in the late 1990s after the arch-rival conducted its tests.
Dr. Qadeer founded the Engineering Research Laboratory, or ERL, to develop a uranium-enrichment capability. ERL was renamed the Khan Research Laboratory in 1981.
The extraordinary scientist was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1989 and 1999 for his outstanding performance in the world of science and technology.
Akin to many famous personalities, he found himself in the international crosshairs when he was accused of illegally sharing nuclear technology with Libya, Iran, and North Korea and was later placed under house arrest in the country’s federal capital Islamabad in 2004.
Later, a Pakistani court revoked the house arrest in February 2009, however, his movements were strictly guarded, and he was accompanied by authorities he left his home.
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