Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist, died on Sunday. He was 85.
Khan was admitted to Khan Research Laboratories Hospital on Aug. 26 after testing positive for Covid-19 and was later moved to a military hospital in Rawalpindi, said the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
"He was loved by our nation because of his critical contribution in making us a nuclear weapon state," Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Twitter. "For the people of Pakistan he was a national icon."
"He helped us develop nation-saving nuclear deterrence, and a grateful nation will never forget his services in this regard," Pakistani President Arif Alvi said in a tweet.
Prime Minister Khan, who is not related to AQ Khan, said the scientist would be buried at Islamabad's Faisal mosque, according to his wishes.
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