Pakistan has announced a public holiday on May 28 after it recently declared the day to be commemorated as “Youm-e-Takbeer” (Day of Greatness). But why is this day so important for our nation?
On May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted five simultaneous underground nuclear tests at the Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai District of Balochistan.
Codenamed Chagai-I, these tests marked Pakistan’s first public demonstration of its nuclear weapons capability, making it the seventh nation in the world and the first Muslim-majority country to possess nuclear arms.
This decision came as a direct response to India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests, conducted earlier in May of the same year.
Two days after the first nuclear test, on May 30, 1998, Pakistan conducted another nuclear test, named Chagai-II.
The Pakistani tests were met with international condemnation, leading to the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172 and economic sanctions from major powers, including the United States and Japan.
Despite international pressure, the day is celebrated annually in Pakistan as Youm-e-Takbeer, commemorating the achievement as a pivotal moment for national defence and regional stability.
This feat is attributed to the late Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer, who is revered at home as a hero for building the Muslim world’s first atomic bomb.
This year is set to mark the 27th anniversary of the pivotal event, and it becomes even more meaningful as it comes days after the Pakistan Armed Forces successfully carried out “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos” in response to India’s unprovoked attacks on innocent civilians in Pakistan.
