Abdul Qadeer Khan

Abdul Qadeer Khan founded the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Kahuta, a secret facility dedicated to uranium enrichment. The lab became the center of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, developing centrifuge technology for weapons-grade material.

Pakistan conducted its first nuclear tests at the Chagai test site in Balochistan, using designs and materials developed under A.Q. Khan's leadership. The tests made Pakistan a nuclear-armed state, altering the strategic balance in South Asia.

A.Q. Khan confessed on national television to running a clandestine nuclear proliferation network that supplied technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. He was placed under house arrest, damaging Pakistan's international reputation.

After his confession, A.Q. Khan was placed under house arrest in Islamabad. He faced no formal trial, and his detention was widely seen as a compromise to avoid revealing state involvement in proliferation. He remained under restriction until his death.