Pakistanis around the world recently celebrated Youm-e-Takbir (The Day of Greatness) commemoration of Pakistan's detonation of its first nuclear bomb on 28 May 1998. On that day, Pakistan entered the elite nuclear club, which was hitherto a monopoly of a couple of countries, including the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into force in the 1950s after demands for the halt of nuclear tests and explosions after the Second World War. The nuclear states, which are signatories to the NPT, have pledged not to give or transfer nuclear weapons to any other party directly or indirectly. At the same time, the signatories to the pact among the non-nuclear states have also pledged not to attempt to acquire such weapons through any means either direct or indirect. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established with the main objective of preventing the diversion of atomic energy from peaceful uses to making atomic bombs. The Pakistan Repatriation Council recently organized an event to mark Youm-e-Takbir in Jeddah. Prominent figures from the Pakistani community attended the symposium titled "Nuclear Technology — our need and obligation." The function started with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an and was followed by some songs eulogizing Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and a session of speeches. The speakers voiced their sense of pride in the remarkable achievements made by Pakistan in almost all fields, especially in the fields of atomic energy and military strength so as to ensure the security of the country and the safety of its people. The speakers were of the view that access to atomic energy and nuclear weapons is a deterrent against those who wish to attack Pakistan or threaten its security and safety. The speakers called on the Pakistan government to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes in the fields of health, agriculture and industry so as to take the nation to the ranks of developed countries as well as to improve the living standard of the Pakistani people. They underscored the need for enabling other sisterly Islamic countries to take advantage of Pakistan's atomic energy. The speakers also dealt with the miserable condition of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, saying that they have been languishing in squalid camps without even having the basic amenities of life since the secession of East Pakistan and the creation of the new state of Bangladesh. However, these hapless people still hope that one day they will be repatriated and rehabilitated in Pakistan, which is the country of their choice, and for which they have made great sacrifices. It is worth noting that Pakistan's nuclear research had a humble beginning during the period of President Ayub Khan with the sole objective of using it for peaceful purposes. However, India's detonation of its first nuclear bomb in 1974, prompted Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan to write a letter to the then Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Khan graduated from the Faculty of Science at the University of Karachi, and then went to Europe to pursue his higher studies in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. He also worked as senior metal expert at a Dutch company. In his letter to Bhutto, Khan emphasized that Pakistan would not be able to remain an independent sovereign state without having nuclear weapons. This made Bhutto start serious efforts to making a nuclear bomb. During that period, Bhutto said: "If India built the bomb, we will eat grass, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own." Khan began work on developing a nuclear bomb, which was detonated on 28 May 1998. This led to Western pressure and protests that reached the point of threatening Pakistan with sanctions. However, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif unequivocally announced that the issue of a nuclear bomb was a matter of life or death for Pakistan and it was not at all negotiable. During those days, some observers thought that the bomb that was detonated might be the only bomb that Pakistan had. However, Pakistan replied to this by detonating several bombs one by one in consecutive days. This sent a strong signal to the world that Pakistan had become a nuclear state and a full member of the nuclear club. If Pakistan had yielded to Western pressure and the threat of sanctions, it would not have developed a nuclear weapon. In his speech, PRC Convener Syed Ehsan-ul-Haque urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to establish a Nuclear Research University, bearing the name of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, and to attract talented youth from within Pakistan and other Islamic countries. He stressed that the university should focus on research and studies on the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. He also appealed to the government to restart the process of repatriation and rehabilitation of stranded Pakistanis. To overcome the paucity of funds, he suggested the implementation of the PRC's old proposal for the settlement of stranded Pakistanis on a self-financing basis. He said that the Pakistani high commissioner at Dhaka could be assigned to issue visas for stranded Pakistanis to facilitate their travel and to help them find jobs. The PRC official thanked the audience for their active participation in making the event a lively one. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
