Pakistan became Nuclear Power on May 28,1998

 

 Pakistan becomes a nuclear power  on May 28

Pakistan announced on May 28, 1998 that it had been successful in conducting five nuclear tests .

 May 28,1998

Twenty-three long years ago, on May 28, 1998, Pakistan announced that it had successfully conducted five nuclear tests.

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) told the entire world on May 28, 1998 that it successfully conducted nuclear tests generated a seismic signal of 5.0 on the Richter scale, with a total yeild of up to 40 KT .

 Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan  , Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme architect had a claim that one device was a boosted fission device and the other four were sub-Kiloton nuclear devices. 

Following this, on 30 May 1998, Pakistan tested yet another nuclear warhead with a reported yield of 12 kilotons.

Chagai-I:

The nuclear tests were performed at Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai district of Balochistan. Chagai-I was Pakistan's first public test of nuclear weapons. Its timing was a strategic response to India's second nuclear tests, on 11 and 13 May 1998.

 The total number of the tests that Pakistan conducted in Chaggai were six , but with another device reportedly being left undetonated.

Socio-Political Climate:

As Pakistan became one of the nine states to possess nuclear weapons, it is pertinent to note that it came on the heels of India conducting its own nuclear tests.

Since the timing of Chagai-I was a strategic, yet direct response to India's second nuclear tests, it is argued that 28th May marks the day that prevented war between India and Pakistan

Operation Brasstacks:

Planned and executed by the Indian Army, Operation Brasstacks was a major combined arms military exercise of the Indian Armed Forces in the Rajasthan state of India, adjacent to the border with Pakistan. It took place in 1986.

While India claims that the operation was merely to test the new concepts in Indian warfare, over 600,000 Indian troops had been amassed near the border of Pakistan - which is precisely why many claims revolve around Operation Brasstacks not being a military exercise, but a scheme to build up the situation for a fourth war with Pakistan.

Brief History of Pakistan's Nuclear Programme:

Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme was established in 1972 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who founded the programme while he was minister for fuel, power and natural resources, and later became president and prime minister. Shortly after the loss of East Pakistan in the 1971 war with India, Bhutto initiated the programme with a meeting of physicists and engineers at Multan in January 19.