abdul qadeer khan- the man behind the myth
TRANSCRIPT
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
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ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
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Abdul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the MythInterview by Zeba Khan
ZK Dr Khan your opponents consider you an evil scientist
of some sort and your fans think of you as a national hero
but what do you think of yourself
Dr Khan I am not at all surprised at what my adversaries think
of me abroad and what my fellow countrymen think of me at
home Unfortunately my adversaries belong to a category of
people who did not even spare our God our Prophets and our
most honest and sincere leaders They dislike me and accuse me
of all kinds of unsubstantiated and fabricated lies because I
disturbed all their strategic plans the balance of power and
blackmailing potential in this part of the world I am not a madman or a nut
If making nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of safeguarding the existence
independence and sovereignty of your country could be termed madness or fanatism then
there are many thousands in other countries who should be awarded even bigger titles I am
proud of my work for my country It has given Pakistanis a sense of pride security and has
been a great scientific achievement I am extremely happy and grateful to all those
Pakistanis who appreciate my services for our country and show tremendous love affection
and respect for me my family and my colleagues No money on earth can buy the love andaffection that has been given to me by a grateful nation In short I consider myself a
humble patriotic Pakistani who gave his best for his country
ZK After your success with Pakistans nuclear program you launched a campaign
against illiteracy instead of disappearing into a quiet and comfortable life Why
Dr Khan The reason for that is obvious most of the problems in our society spring from
illiteracy Hatred intolerance poor hygienic conditions and violence all have roots in
illiteracy so were trying to do something to help the poor and the needy I also thought we
should set up clinics for those people in the suburbs of Islamabad who cant afford to come
to the city If they have to travel five or six kilometers into the city thats a hundred rupees
already Then THEY may not have money for prescriptions and could end up buying
cheaper generic versions that are sometimes fake We have five free clinics each clinicsees about 80-100 patients a day They operate six days a week from nine to three and the
medicines are all free Some of the medicines we buy some are donated by various
pharmaceutical companies but we charge nothing from the patients not even ten rupees for
registration
ZK But why not retire Why stay in the public eye at all
Dr Khan Some people are ok with doing nothing all day after they retire but then some
people if they had nothing to do would go mad and start banging their heads against a wall
Im one OF those people I cant ever retire if I quit government work I will do social work
full time Charity is the family business My parents were very kind and gentle to people my
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 24
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistancompeopleabdul_qadeerasp[82610 25913 PM]
Rates
Pak Search
Your Opinion
Counts
Why is making new yearresolutions important toyou
Helps me stay focused
on my goals and vision inlife
Helps me renew my
spirit to improve myself andothers
Its the tradition of the
Prophet (pbuh) ampsuccessful people
Helps me evaluate my
progress success ampfailures
View Results
View Previous Poll Results
Decked out fair to men
is the love of lusts--
women children
heaped up heaps of
gold and silver horses
of mark cattle and
tillage That is theenjoyment of the
present life but God
with Him is the fairest
resort Quran 313
children do the same and even my little granddaughter does the same When she has two
biscuits she always gives one of them away I keep busy in other ways too not just charity I
coordinate a number of scientific projects Im working on industrial revival and
establishment Im on the boards of so many Universities Ive built a Polytechnic Institute in
Mianwali and NOW Im building a Genetic Engineering Institute in Karachi which I believe
will be the best in all of Asia
ZK How has fame treated you
Dr Khan Well sometimes if I go out to dinner with my family people will come up to me
and put their hand across my plate for me to shake sometimes when I have a bite of food
in my mouth I find this a bit disturbing I have to ask Allahs forgiveness and not get angry
because they come to me out of love and its not fitting that I should turn to them in hatred
Its my wonderful wife who has suffered the most in all this shes lost much of her privacy
But I tell her theres a good side and a bad side to everything The moment people realize
who she is she is taken good care of They show a lot of affection and respect to her
ZK There must be some benefits to being THE Dr Khan
Dr Khan If I escort my wife to the plane when shes flying somewhere the crew will take
notice of who she is and she will receive VIP treatment from the moment she steps on the
plane As for me I cant even stop by the roadside at a small hut to drink chai without
someone paying for me People go out of their way to show the love and respect for me It
is very gratifying
ZK Whens the last time you paid for dinner
Dr Khan Its been a long time I cant remember but I have never tried to take undue
advantage of who I am Once I was leaving the VIP lounge at an airport and the security
guard asked to see my VIP lounge card I didnt scream and wave my arms and say Dont
you know who I am Im Qadeer Khan I just took my card out of my pocket and showed it
to him that man was just doing his job and thats wasnt a problem for me at all Hissupervisor did come and yell at him though he waved his arms and said Dont you know
who this is This is Dr Qadeer Khan
ZK How do you occupy your free time
Dr Khan I like to feed the squirrels at my office and the monkeys who live in forest in front
of my home Even if Im on my way to work if I see them waiting outside I go back to the
kitchen and fetch some bananas or apples I read a lot and I write a lot Im currently in the
process of writing down everything I can remember anything and everything that has ever
happened to me and Im putting it in various diaries (DrKhan pointed to a large metal
sandooq (chest) in the hallway) This trunk is full of my diaries but for the moment Ive
locked it and I cant find the key
ZK Is it true that you drive around in a bullet-proof car
Dr Khan (laughing) I never bothered with bullet proof cars I walk down the street and I
buy my own vegetables Theres no security risk the only problem is that when I go out
people gather around me Theres no real security anyhow show me a single person whos
managed to cheat the Angel of Death Kennedy died Saadaat Died Zia-ul -Haq died when
its your time to go its just your time to go I never restricted my daughters either when they
were growing up I didnt want them to be burdened with not being able to go to school
picnics or having to travel with armed security guards I never even went to my daughters
school I wanted them to grow up like normal children
Vote
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 34
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistancompeopleabdul_qadeerasp[82610 25913 PM]
ZK Do you remember when Pakistan gained its independence What do you
remember from when you migrated from Bhopal India to Pakistan
Dr Khan I was ten when Pakistan got its independence and I was living in thepredominantly Muslim state of Bhopal India The situation was relatively calm compared to
what was happening in the rest of India and Pakistan but still I can remember trains coming
into the station full of dead Muslims It was horrible I migrated from Bhopal six years later
when it was safer for Muslims to travel but even then the Indian authorities were treating
the Muslim horribly
At one train station the soldiers pulled gold jewelry off of Muslim women and pulled the
earrings out of their ears Every valuable possession was taken from the passengers and
ticket checkers refused to return your ticket unless they were illegally gratified I had been
traveling with a pen that my brother gave me when I passed my exams and just as I was
crossing out of India a border guard reached towards me and snatched it from my pocket
The pen had almost no monetary value but the guards behavior hurt me and it was
something Ill never forget
ZK You are engaged in a number of social welfare and charity works Some people
might consider this as an attempt for self-projection What do you think of it
Dr Khan Firstly other peoples opinions do not matter Some people dont even respect
the Prophets so why should I expect any better I think of myself as a postman God has
put me in a position where He gives me things money and resources and its only my job
to make the deliveries to others People accuse me of being extravagant in my charity and
ask me what Ill do if I run out of money Well if I run out of money I just wont be able to
do this anymore thats all But if I have money and dont help other people with it then my
conscious will be burdened Ill be too guilty to sleep at night
ZK Tell me something that most people dont know about you
Dr Khan Some people have the impression that because I built a nuclear bomb Im some
sort of cruel person Thats not the case I own many guns but Ive never shot even a bird I
love animals and I wouldnt even harm an ant Any one of my friends or family can tell you
that same I built a weapon of peace which seems hard to understand until you realize that
Pakistans nuclear capability is a deterrent to aggressors There has not been a war in the
last 30 years and i dont expect one in the future The stakes are too high and any aggressor
will have to consider carefully
ZK Well in closing what advice would you have for Pakistanis who are overseas
right now
Dr Khan My advice to them would be that when they come to visit their families they
shouldnt waste their time and breath discussing and arguing and trying to solve every single
problem in Pakistan just by talking about it Id say to them instead of doing that go to
wherever it is you came from and build a small school or a medical center Run it as a
private institution if you want so long as you make concessions for poor students or
patients If you cant be there long enough form an association of your friends and other
donors and have them see to it
Even if you just go to a small village and pay for the boring of an underground well youll be
doing more to help than discussing every minute detail of Pakistans social economic and
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 44
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistan compeopleabdul qadeer asp[82610 25913 PM]
political scene and spending nothing but your breath If you have more time put in a basic
sanitation system You can take your education and your money and bring awareness to our
people Even if the school you build only goes to eighth grade you have still given the
people the tools to read newspapers and books independently They can then learn on their
own and at least have basic knowledge about health and other things The overseas
Pakistanis should stop talking about how to fix the government and just do some grass-roots
teaching and social work instead Youve got to work hard to help people I dont understand
why everyone wants to be a king and no one wants to be a soldier Whoever comes from
abroad wants to solve all the problems of Benazir Nawaz Sharif and Gen Pervez Musharraf
put together They should try to solve the problems of the poor people who have no potable
water a primary school or a basic sewerage system in their villages
DateTime Last Modified 3132003 110027 AM
copy 2004 Human Development Foundation All rights reserved1350 Remington Road Suite W Schaumburg Il 60173Toll Free (800) 705-1310 | Email infoyespakistancom | Privacy Policy
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 24
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistancompeopleabdul_qadeerasp[82610 25913 PM]
Rates
Pak Search
Your Opinion
Counts
Why is making new yearresolutions important toyou
Helps me stay focused
on my goals and vision inlife
Helps me renew my
spirit to improve myself andothers
Its the tradition of the
Prophet (pbuh) ampsuccessful people
Helps me evaluate my
progress success ampfailures
View Results
View Previous Poll Results
Decked out fair to men
is the love of lusts--
women children
heaped up heaps of
gold and silver horses
of mark cattle and
tillage That is theenjoyment of the
present life but God
with Him is the fairest
resort Quran 313
children do the same and even my little granddaughter does the same When she has two
biscuits she always gives one of them away I keep busy in other ways too not just charity I
coordinate a number of scientific projects Im working on industrial revival and
establishment Im on the boards of so many Universities Ive built a Polytechnic Institute in
Mianwali and NOW Im building a Genetic Engineering Institute in Karachi which I believe
will be the best in all of Asia
ZK How has fame treated you
Dr Khan Well sometimes if I go out to dinner with my family people will come up to me
and put their hand across my plate for me to shake sometimes when I have a bite of food
in my mouth I find this a bit disturbing I have to ask Allahs forgiveness and not get angry
because they come to me out of love and its not fitting that I should turn to them in hatred
Its my wonderful wife who has suffered the most in all this shes lost much of her privacy
But I tell her theres a good side and a bad side to everything The moment people realize
who she is she is taken good care of They show a lot of affection and respect to her
ZK There must be some benefits to being THE Dr Khan
Dr Khan If I escort my wife to the plane when shes flying somewhere the crew will take
notice of who she is and she will receive VIP treatment from the moment she steps on the
plane As for me I cant even stop by the roadside at a small hut to drink chai without
someone paying for me People go out of their way to show the love and respect for me It
is very gratifying
ZK Whens the last time you paid for dinner
Dr Khan Its been a long time I cant remember but I have never tried to take undue
advantage of who I am Once I was leaving the VIP lounge at an airport and the security
guard asked to see my VIP lounge card I didnt scream and wave my arms and say Dont
you know who I am Im Qadeer Khan I just took my card out of my pocket and showed it
to him that man was just doing his job and thats wasnt a problem for me at all Hissupervisor did come and yell at him though he waved his arms and said Dont you know
who this is This is Dr Qadeer Khan
ZK How do you occupy your free time
Dr Khan I like to feed the squirrels at my office and the monkeys who live in forest in front
of my home Even if Im on my way to work if I see them waiting outside I go back to the
kitchen and fetch some bananas or apples I read a lot and I write a lot Im currently in the
process of writing down everything I can remember anything and everything that has ever
happened to me and Im putting it in various diaries (DrKhan pointed to a large metal
sandooq (chest) in the hallway) This trunk is full of my diaries but for the moment Ive
locked it and I cant find the key
ZK Is it true that you drive around in a bullet-proof car
Dr Khan (laughing) I never bothered with bullet proof cars I walk down the street and I
buy my own vegetables Theres no security risk the only problem is that when I go out
people gather around me Theres no real security anyhow show me a single person whos
managed to cheat the Angel of Death Kennedy died Saadaat Died Zia-ul -Haq died when
its your time to go its just your time to go I never restricted my daughters either when they
were growing up I didnt want them to be burdened with not being able to go to school
picnics or having to travel with armed security guards I never even went to my daughters
school I wanted them to grow up like normal children
Vote
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 34
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistancompeopleabdul_qadeerasp[82610 25913 PM]
ZK Do you remember when Pakistan gained its independence What do you
remember from when you migrated from Bhopal India to Pakistan
Dr Khan I was ten when Pakistan got its independence and I was living in thepredominantly Muslim state of Bhopal India The situation was relatively calm compared to
what was happening in the rest of India and Pakistan but still I can remember trains coming
into the station full of dead Muslims It was horrible I migrated from Bhopal six years later
when it was safer for Muslims to travel but even then the Indian authorities were treating
the Muslim horribly
At one train station the soldiers pulled gold jewelry off of Muslim women and pulled the
earrings out of their ears Every valuable possession was taken from the passengers and
ticket checkers refused to return your ticket unless they were illegally gratified I had been
traveling with a pen that my brother gave me when I passed my exams and just as I was
crossing out of India a border guard reached towards me and snatched it from my pocket
The pen had almost no monetary value but the guards behavior hurt me and it was
something Ill never forget
ZK You are engaged in a number of social welfare and charity works Some people
might consider this as an attempt for self-projection What do you think of it
Dr Khan Firstly other peoples opinions do not matter Some people dont even respect
the Prophets so why should I expect any better I think of myself as a postman God has
put me in a position where He gives me things money and resources and its only my job
to make the deliveries to others People accuse me of being extravagant in my charity and
ask me what Ill do if I run out of money Well if I run out of money I just wont be able to
do this anymore thats all But if I have money and dont help other people with it then my
conscious will be burdened Ill be too guilty to sleep at night
ZK Tell me something that most people dont know about you
Dr Khan Some people have the impression that because I built a nuclear bomb Im some
sort of cruel person Thats not the case I own many guns but Ive never shot even a bird I
love animals and I wouldnt even harm an ant Any one of my friends or family can tell you
that same I built a weapon of peace which seems hard to understand until you realize that
Pakistans nuclear capability is a deterrent to aggressors There has not been a war in the
last 30 years and i dont expect one in the future The stakes are too high and any aggressor
will have to consider carefully
ZK Well in closing what advice would you have for Pakistanis who are overseas
right now
Dr Khan My advice to them would be that when they come to visit their families they
shouldnt waste their time and breath discussing and arguing and trying to solve every single
problem in Pakistan just by talking about it Id say to them instead of doing that go to
wherever it is you came from and build a small school or a medical center Run it as a
private institution if you want so long as you make concessions for poor students or
patients If you cant be there long enough form an association of your friends and other
donors and have them see to it
Even if you just go to a small village and pay for the boring of an underground well youll be
doing more to help than discussing every minute detail of Pakistans social economic and
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 44
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistan compeopleabdul qadeer asp[82610 25913 PM]
political scene and spending nothing but your breath If you have more time put in a basic
sanitation system You can take your education and your money and bring awareness to our
people Even if the school you build only goes to eighth grade you have still given the
people the tools to read newspapers and books independently They can then learn on their
own and at least have basic knowledge about health and other things The overseas
Pakistanis should stop talking about how to fix the government and just do some grass-roots
teaching and social work instead Youve got to work hard to help people I dont understand
why everyone wants to be a king and no one wants to be a soldier Whoever comes from
abroad wants to solve all the problems of Benazir Nawaz Sharif and Gen Pervez Musharraf
put together They should try to solve the problems of the poor people who have no potable
water a primary school or a basic sewerage system in their villages
DateTime Last Modified 3132003 110027 AM
copy 2004 Human Development Foundation All rights reserved1350 Remington Road Suite W Schaumburg Il 60173Toll Free (800) 705-1310 | Email infoyespakistancom | Privacy Policy
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 34
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistancompeopleabdul_qadeerasp[82610 25913 PM]
ZK Do you remember when Pakistan gained its independence What do you
remember from when you migrated from Bhopal India to Pakistan
Dr Khan I was ten when Pakistan got its independence and I was living in thepredominantly Muslim state of Bhopal India The situation was relatively calm compared to
what was happening in the rest of India and Pakistan but still I can remember trains coming
into the station full of dead Muslims It was horrible I migrated from Bhopal six years later
when it was safer for Muslims to travel but even then the Indian authorities were treating
the Muslim horribly
At one train station the soldiers pulled gold jewelry off of Muslim women and pulled the
earrings out of their ears Every valuable possession was taken from the passengers and
ticket checkers refused to return your ticket unless they were illegally gratified I had been
traveling with a pen that my brother gave me when I passed my exams and just as I was
crossing out of India a border guard reached towards me and snatched it from my pocket
The pen had almost no monetary value but the guards behavior hurt me and it was
something Ill never forget
ZK You are engaged in a number of social welfare and charity works Some people
might consider this as an attempt for self-projection What do you think of it
Dr Khan Firstly other peoples opinions do not matter Some people dont even respect
the Prophets so why should I expect any better I think of myself as a postman God has
put me in a position where He gives me things money and resources and its only my job
to make the deliveries to others People accuse me of being extravagant in my charity and
ask me what Ill do if I run out of money Well if I run out of money I just wont be able to
do this anymore thats all But if I have money and dont help other people with it then my
conscious will be burdened Ill be too guilty to sleep at night
ZK Tell me something that most people dont know about you
Dr Khan Some people have the impression that because I built a nuclear bomb Im some
sort of cruel person Thats not the case I own many guns but Ive never shot even a bird I
love animals and I wouldnt even harm an ant Any one of my friends or family can tell you
that same I built a weapon of peace which seems hard to understand until you realize that
Pakistans nuclear capability is a deterrent to aggressors There has not been a war in the
last 30 years and i dont expect one in the future The stakes are too high and any aggressor
will have to consider carefully
ZK Well in closing what advice would you have for Pakistanis who are overseas
right now
Dr Khan My advice to them would be that when they come to visit their families they
shouldnt waste their time and breath discussing and arguing and trying to solve every single
problem in Pakistan just by talking about it Id say to them instead of doing that go to
wherever it is you came from and build a small school or a medical center Run it as a
private institution if you want so long as you make concessions for poor students or
patients If you cant be there long enough form an association of your friends and other
donors and have them see to it
Even if you just go to a small village and pay for the boring of an underground well youll be
doing more to help than discussing every minute detail of Pakistans social economic and
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 44
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistan compeopleabdul qadeer asp[82610 25913 PM]
political scene and spending nothing but your breath If you have more time put in a basic
sanitation system You can take your education and your money and bring awareness to our
people Even if the school you build only goes to eighth grade you have still given the
people the tools to read newspapers and books independently They can then learn on their
own and at least have basic knowledge about health and other things The overseas
Pakistanis should stop talking about how to fix the government and just do some grass-roots
teaching and social work instead Youve got to work hard to help people I dont understand
why everyone wants to be a king and no one wants to be a soldier Whoever comes from
abroad wants to solve all the problems of Benazir Nawaz Sharif and Gen Pervez Musharraf
put together They should try to solve the problems of the poor people who have no potable
water a primary school or a basic sewerage system in their villages
DateTime Last Modified 3132003 110027 AM
copy 2004 Human Development Foundation All rights reserved1350 Remington Road Suite W Schaumburg Il 60173Toll Free (800) 705-1310 | Email infoyespakistancom | Privacy Policy
892019 Abdul Qadeer Khan- The Man Behind the Myth
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullabdul-qadeer-khan-the-man-behind-the-myth 44
ul Qadeer Khan The Man Behind the Myth
yespakistan compeopleabdul qadeer asp[82610 25913 PM]
political scene and spending nothing but your breath If you have more time put in a basic
sanitation system You can take your education and your money and bring awareness to our
people Even if the school you build only goes to eighth grade you have still given the
people the tools to read newspapers and books independently They can then learn on their
own and at least have basic knowledge about health and other things The overseas
Pakistanis should stop talking about how to fix the government and just do some grass-roots
teaching and social work instead Youve got to work hard to help people I dont understand
why everyone wants to be a king and no one wants to be a soldier Whoever comes from
abroad wants to solve all the problems of Benazir Nawaz Sharif and Gen Pervez Musharraf
put together They should try to solve the problems of the poor people who have no potable
water a primary school or a basic sewerage system in their villages
DateTime Last Modified 3132003 110027 AM
copy 2004 Human Development Foundation All rights reserved1350 Remington Road Suite W Schaumburg Il 60173Toll Free (800) 705-1310 | Email infoyespakistancom | Privacy Policy