Youm-e-Takbeer: Pakistan marks 20th anniversary of nuclear tests

Youm-e-Takbeer: Pakistan marks 20th anniversary of nuclear tests

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is marking the 20th anniversary of nuclear tests on Monday with patriotic zeal and fervour.

May 28, dubbed as Youm-e-Takbeer, is celebrated every year to commemorate the historic day when the country conducted the nuclear tests in 1998 as a response, in self-defence, to the nuclear tests and accompanying hostile posturing by its neighbour India, the Foreign Office said in a press release.

“These developments unfortunately put an end to the prospect for keeping South Asia free of nuclear weapons – an objective which Pakistan had actively pursued. Notwithstanding these facts, Pakistan has remained steadfast in its commitment to non-proliferation and global peace and strategic stability,” it said.

The press release noted that since 1998, Pakistan has demonstrated utmost restraint and responsibility in the stewardship of its nuclear capability. It is committed to the principle of Credible Minimum Deterrence and has persistently sought deterrence stability in the region.

This objective has driven Pakistan to offer and conclude several Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in the nuclear and conventional domains, including the 2004 Pakistan-India Joint Statement which recognised the respective nuclear capabilities of the two countries as a factor for stability. Pakistan has consistently signaled its willingness to consider further measures for risk reduction and avoidance of arms race in the region, said the Foreign Office.

“At the same time, Pakistan remains confident of its ability to deny space for any misadventure against the backdrop of rapidly expanding nuclear and conventional forces in its neighbourhood, deployment of BMD and pursuit of aggressive security doctrines and developing force postures,” it said, adding, “The nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean and canesterisation of ballistic missiles in our neighbourhood should be a matter of concern for the international community as well, since these developments have extra-regional ramifications.”

Cognisant of its responsibility as a state with nuclear capability, Pakistan has over the years developed robust command and control systems led by the National Command Authority, effective nuclear safety and security regimes and export controls which are at par with the contemporary international standards. The country has taken significant measures to ensure comprehensive nuclear security, which have been acknowledged internationally, the press release stated.

Highlighting the country’s accomplishments in harnessing nuclear technology for peace, progress and prosperity, the Foreign Office noted that Pakistan, being one of the most affected countries due to the impact of climate change, plans to increase its nuclear power generation capacity to 40,000MW by 2050, as a clean and cost-effective alternative to fossil fuel.

As a country with advanced nuclear technology, Pakistan seeks to play its role as a mainstream partner in the global non-proliferation regime, and has also expressed its desire to join the multilateral export control regimes. It has already applied for participation in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) based on non-discriminatory criteria applicable in a fair manner to all non-NPT states, the press release added.