Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

Eleven years ago, on May 28, 1998, Pakistan tested its nuclear weapons in the mountains of Chaghi, Baluchistan and joined the exclusive club of nuclear powers. This event raised the morale of the whole nation and was a befitting reply to the Indian tests that had been carried out two weeks earlier and the subsequent bragging by Home Minister Advani. We became the first Muslim country to have nuclear weapons and that gave us a respected position in the comity of Muslim countries. People all over the world believed that we had nuclear capability, but now seeing was believing. On Dec 10, 1984, I had already given in writing to Gen Zia that KRL could detonate a device at short notice. Mr Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was in charge of the nuclear programme from 1976 to 1993, put this down in writing in a letter to Mr Zahid Malik. This letter was published in many books and articles. Its contents were confirmed in an interview given by Gen Arif to Adrian Levy, as published in the latter’s book Deception. On April 6, 1998, even before the nuclear tests were carried out, KRL had test-fired a long-range ballistic missile named “Ghauri.” I would like to place on record here that all this was possible only because of the full support of the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the late Gen Zia, the late Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the late Agha Shahi, the late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Mr Nawaz Sharif, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and Gen Abdul Waheed Kakar. The essential and central role played by KRL in these achievements have been aptly recorded by former presidents, prime ministers and services chiefs. Many articles and books have since been written on this topic, some giving correct information but even more giving false information. The western media has been extremely active in spreading insinuations and disinformation. Read the rest of this entry »

Random Thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

In my previous column I stressed the importance of tolerance and forgiveness in Islam, defining what it meant and mostly dealing with the sayings (Ahadith) of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his own actions in that respect.

The purpose of both the previous and this column is to address the issue of those ignorant, semi-literate and misguided people who call themselves Muslims but whose actions are abhorrent, despicable and anything but Islamic. How can the call to murder innocent men, women and children be justified? How can the destruction of places of learning be justified when these are the prime source of not only formal learning, but also of Deen, Quran, Ahadith, Islamic culture and Islamic history, from which we learn the causes and intrigues that led to the disintegration of our rich culture. Although anti-Islamic elements have much to do with the pathetic situation we find ourselves in today, a lot of it is due to the fact that we have ignored the divine edicts and Ahadith, internal squabbling, intrigues and, above all, totally forsaking the golden principles of tolerance, forgiveness and flexibility in dealing with each other and our opponents. Read the rest of this entry »

Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

Given what is happening in our country at this time, I would like to deliberate here on the Islamic values of tolerance and forgiveness. In simple words, tolerance is the ability, willingness and capacity to put up with something with which one disagrees, or which one dislikes, without interfering or attempting to forcibly change it. This does not mean we should not attempt trying to change things that are wrong. It simply means attempting to bring about that change without violence and keeping in mind that other people’s ideas may be different to ours. Compromise plays a large role in tolerance. Forgiveness is simply excusing an offence/mistake and avoiding venting anger towards the person/institution causing the event. Since these two virtues are cardinal principles in Islam that seem to have totally vanished from society, I feel that they should be elaborated upon. Read the rest of this entry »