Controversial father of Pakistan nuclear bomb dies aged 85

Pakistan’s nuclear programme and Dr Khan’s involvement have long been the subject of allegations and criticism

Scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, has died aged 85. Picture: AP

Abdul Qadeer Khan, a controversial figure known as the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, has died after a lengthy illness at the age of 85, the country’s interior minister said.

The scientist launched Pakistan on the path to becoming a nuclear weapons power in the early 1970s.