May 28: Yaum-e-Takbeer, Pakistan Became Nuclear Power

By Sajjad Shaukat

Showing aggressive designs on May 11, 1998, the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee surprised the international community by announcing that India has conducted three nuclear tests. On May 13, 1998, India conducted two more nuclear tests.

In order to create balance of power in South Asia, Pakistan successfully conducted five nuclear tests on May 28, 1998.

Therefore, with national zeal and fervor, people across the country celebrate Youm-e-Takbeer (The day of greatness) every year on May 28 to mark the conduction of nuclear tests, as on this very day in 1998, Pakistan became the first declared Muslim and the 7th nuclear power in the world.

However, both the neighboring countries have waged three wars, especially on the issue of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). So, Pakistan’s arch rival compelled Islamabad to follow the suit. It took only 17 days for Pakistan to successfully carry out its five nuclear tests which were done on May 28 and the sixth one on May 1998, at Chaghi in the Balochistan province. For the purpose, about five thousands scientists, including Dr Samarmand Mubarik and particularly Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan (The late) had worked day and night, and made the defence of the country impregnable.

As regards Pakistan’s atomic experiments, renowned journalist, Majid Nizami (The late) said, “Pakistan faced tremendous pressure from India after it detonated five nuclear devices and America also did not want Pakistan to become a nuclear power. US President Clinton telephoned the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif five times besides offering him billions of dollars to refrain him from nuclear tests”.

New Delhi’s war-mongering strategy against Pakistan could be judged from the fact that in 1974 India conducted first nuclear test at Pokhran Range in Rajhistan so as to pressurise Islamabad.

It is mentionable that when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, (The late) came to power, he paid much attention to the nuclear programme of Pakistan, as he knew that India would apply its coercive diplomacy on Islamabad or could attack the country. In this context, while talking on a TV channel on May 28, 2012, Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan had appreciated the efforts of former Prime Minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for providing the opportunity to make the nuclear programme of Pakistan successful.

He also made it clear that Pakistan’s nuclear programme was totally indigenous, but acquired materials from some western countries.

During many crises such as Kargil issue of 1999 and attack on the Indian parliament by the militants in 2001, New Delhi concentrated its troops across the Pakistan’s border, with the intention to attack Pakistan, while raising a series of false allegations against Islamabad. Pakistan was also compelled to deploy its Army along the Pak-India border. But, India did not dare to initiate a war because of Pakistan’s ‘Nukes.’ Similarly, in the past, Indian rulers had intended to implement their doctrine of limited war in Kashmir, but they could not do so owing to our nuclear weapons.

Particularly, in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, India accused Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of supporting the militants. Although Pakistan’s diplomats denied Indian self-fabricated story regarding Mumbai catastrophe, but New Delhi adopted a threatening posture against Islamabad. It once again deployed its troops across the Pakistani border. Again, Islamabad also concentrated its military in order to give a matching response to India.

Likewise, in the aftermath of the false flag terror attack of Pulwama, very tension escalated rapidly between the two countries on February 27, 2019. In response to the Indian so-called pre-emptive air strike near the town of Balakot, close to the border with Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and launched aerial strikes at six targets in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). And the Pak Army also captured an Indian pilot.

Now, more than three years have passed. But, Indian fanatic government led by the extremist Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued military lockdown in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Modi-led regime unilaterally abrogated the special status of the IIOJK on August 5, 2019 when Indian Parliament revoked articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution. The act split the IIOJK into two territories to be ruled directly by New Delhi. The aim was to turn Muslim majority into minority.

Indian PM Modi-the leader of the extremist ruling party BJP had got a land sliding victory in the Indian general elections 2014 and 2019. During the election-campaign, Hindu majority was mobilized on ‘hate Muslim’ slogans and ‘anti-Pakistan’ jargons. Once again, in the Indian elections 2024, Modi continued anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan policies.

Former Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir have frequently said that Pakistan’s armed forces are fully ready to meet any Indian prospective aggression.

It is notable that America dropped atomic bombs on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as Tokyo had no such devices to retaliate. After the World War 11, nuclear weapons were never used. These were only employed as a strategic threat. During the heightened days of the Cold War, many crises arose in Suez Canal, Korea, Cuba and Vietnam when the US and the former Soviet Union were willing to use atomic weapons, but they stopped because of the fear of nuclear war which could culminate in the elimination of both the super powers. It was due to the concept of ‘mutually assured destruction’ that the two rivals preferred to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

Political strategists agree that deterrence is a psychological concept that aims to affect an opponent’s perceptions. In nuclear deterrence weapons are less usable as their threat is enough in deterring an enemy that intends to use its armed might.

While both the neighbouring adversaries are nuclear powers, New Delhi is ignoring the principles of deterrence, popularly known as balance of terror.

In these terms, India is badly mistaken, if it overestimates its own power and underestimates Pakistan’s power. As our country lacks conventional weapons vis-à-vis India, so it will have to use atomic devices during a prolonged conflict which would result into national suicide of the two countries. So, India may apply its blackmailing diplomacy on the non-atomic states of South Asia in exerting psychological pressure, but it is useless in case of Pakistan whose deterrence is credible, making its defence invincible, as it possesses a variety of nuclear weapons and missiles which could be used against India as the last option, if the latter attacked our country.

Moreover, it is due to atomic bombs that Islamabad can talk to New Delhi with honour and dignity, discouraging India from casting an evil eye on our motherland.

Furthermore, as Pakistan is the only declared nuclear country in the Islamic World, hence, it has become special target of some western top officials and media entities who continue their propaganda campaign against Pakistan’s nuclear programme, allegedly stating that Pakistan’s atomic weapons are unsafe.

In the recent past, addressing a Democratic Congressional campaign committee in California, the US President Joe Biden stated that Pakistan is “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” because it has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”

His irresponsible statement ignited anger and condemnation in Pakistan. Terming it contrary to facts and misleading, civil and military leaders clarified that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals are in safe hands under a strong command and control system—as a responsible nuclear weapon state, the country has taken all measures necessary to strengthen its nuclear security regime at par with international best practices.

Unlike New Delhi, Islamabad has implemented strict export controls to prevent spread of sensitive technology and material in line with its commitments under international non-proliferation regimes. The country has established a comprehensive personnel reliability programme to ensure that those with access to nuclear weapons and materials are trustworthy persons who undergo continuous security checks.

Islamabad has concluded comprehensive safeguard agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—IAEA to ensure the peaceful use of its nuclear programme, including giving access to IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear facilities. Therefore, Pakistan has been following facilities under IAEA safeguards.

IAEA’s report (IAEA-CN-184/77) concluded that coordination between Pakistan and the Agency has been “exceptional” as Pakistan extended utmost cooperation to resolve emerging issues of safeguards implementations of its facilities.

Nevertheless, the world must be worried about safety of Indian nuclear programme and its delivery systems, as accidental firing of Indian BrahMos missile into Pakistani territory on March 9, 2022 raised serious concerns about command and control system in place in India.

It is notable that in 2009 when the heavily-armed Taliban entered Swat, Dir and Buner, US high officials and their media had exaggerated the ‘Talibinisation’ of whole Pakistan, while showing concerns about Pakistan’s atomic arms. In that regard, the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had warned that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists. But, when Pakistan’s armed forces ejected the Taliban insurgents out of these areas by breaking their backbone, she started appreciating the capabilities of Pakistan Armed Forces.

Similarly, when terrorists had attacked on Pakistan’s Naval Airbase in Karachi on May 23, 2011, US-led some western countries including India and Israel exploited the situation through disinformation about the security of Pak nukes. And terrorists’ assault on Kamra Base was successfully foiled by the personnel of Pakistan Air Force, but, a baseless report, published in the New York Times had indicated that suspected militants attacked a major Pakistani Air Force base where some of the country’s nuclear weapons were considered to be stored in the early hours of the militants’ attack. The ex-US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta also stated day, “There is a danger of nuclear weapons of Pakistan, falling into hands of terrorists.”

Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s nuclear assets are in safe hands-well-protected and are under tight security arrangements, having the best command and control system.

Nonetheless, May 28 is celebrated as Youm-e-Takbeer by various political parties and social organisations as well as general masses with a pledge to make Pakistan a stronger country, militarily and economically, among the comity of nations. No doubt, on this very day of May 1998, Pakistan became declared nuclear power.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com