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Abdul Qadeer Khan
Nuclear Engineer
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Abdul Qadeer Khan is a Pakistani scientist and metallurgical engineer, widely regarded as the founder of Pakistan's nuclear program. In January 2004, Khan confessed to 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, the President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, announced that he had pardoned Khan, who is widely seen as a national hero. Recently Dr. Qadeer cleared the issue of confession which he said was handed to him by authorities. In an August 23, 2005 interview with Kyodo News General Pervez Musharraf confirmed that Khan had supplied gas centrifuges and gas centrifuge parts to North Korea and, possibly, an amount of uranium hexafluoride. On May 30, 2008, ABC News reported that Khan, who previously confessed to his involvement with Iran and North Korea, now denies involvement with the spread of nuclear arms to those countries. He explained in an interview with ABC News that the Pakistani government and President Pervez Musharraf forced him to be a "scapegoat" for the "national interest." He denies ever traveling to Iran or Libya and claims that North Korea's nuclear program was well advanced before his visit.
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