The Pakistani community around the world recently organized events to mark the 17th anniversary of “Youm-e-Takbeer” (Day of Greatness) when the country entered the nuclear club of nations. Pakistan detonated a nuclear bomb for the first time on 28 May 1998. There was pressure from Western powers asking Pakistan not to detonate a nuclear device but Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif defied this pressure by stating that it was an issue of life and death for the nation, and it was a non-negotiable issue as far as Pakistan was concerned. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reportedly vowed in 1973 while he was the prime minister of the country that "even if we have to eat grass we will make nuclear bombs". Bhutto courageously initiated the strategic defense institute headed by renowned nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan in 1973 to make the bomb. Khan is regarded as the “Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.” The initial steps to make a nuclear weapon were taken by President Gen. Ayub Khan when his government signed a nuclear pact with Canada in 1965 to supply it with nuclear reactors, and the beginning of the country's nuclear program can be traced back to this agreement. The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a symposium in Jeddah titled “Nuclear technology – our need and obligation” on the occasion of “Youm-e-Takbeer.” The function started with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an, and it was followed by speeches by a number of prominent figures from the Pakistani community. Their speeches focused on their feelings of pride over the achievements of their country. They unveiled the history of Pakistan's nuclear program, starting with the agreement signed with the Canadian government. The speakers also highlighted the resolve of Bhutto to make a nuclear weapon under any circumstances and the entrusting of Khan with the challenging mission, and the crowning of the program with success when Nawaz Sharif was prime minister. Poets Syed Mohsin Alavi and Abdul Qayyum Wasiq presented poems on Youm-e-Takbeer. Hamid Islam Khan, deputy convener of PRC, was one of the main speakers at the function. In the speech, he reiterated the PRC's stated position that the state of Pakistan will not be complete without the repatriation of the patriotic Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh, who made great sacrifices for the country.
?Choudhry Riaz Ghumman of the Kashmir Committee was another speaker. He said Pakistan should have taken steps to utilize nuclear technology for the benefit of the common man. In his speech, Shamsuddin Altaf, leader of the Pakistan People's Community, paid rich tribute to Bhutto and Abdul Qadeer Khan for enabling the country to achieve a nuclear capability. Well-known Urdu writer Mohammad Amanatullah and noted philanthropist and businessman Sheikh Mohammad Luqman also spoke on the occasion. In his speech, PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque thanked all speakers and attendees for their participation in the symposium. He also appealed to Prime Minister Sharif to create a commission to restart the process of repatriation and rehabilitation of the stranded Pakistanis. To overcome the paucity of funds, he suggested that the government implement the PRC's proposal for the settlement of stranded Pakistanis on a self-financed basis. Haque called on the Bangladeshi government to play its role in solving the issue. He also appealed to Sharif to create a university for nuclear research headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan to study the possibilities of using nuclear technology in power generation, agriculture and health care. When my turn came, I thanked the PRC for organizing the event and said that the entry of Pakistan to the nuclear club was a proud moment for all Muslims worldwide as it is the only Muslim nation which has acquired a nuclear capability. I noted that a strong Pakistan will strengthen the entire Muslim world. I also emphasized that the strength of any nation would only be complete with the involvement of all sections of society in the nation building process and that Pakistan would be more powerful if it found a solution to the problem of the stranded Pakistanis who sacrificed everything that they had in India because of their choice to live in Pakistan. These people stood by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh civil war due to their keenness to maintain the unity of the country, and they insisted on not speaking any language other than Urdu, the official language of Pakistan. I pointed out that when East Pakistan vanished from the political map and the new nation of Bangladesh emerged in its place, these Pakistanis demanded their repatriation as they were not prepared to live in any country except Pakistan. Moreover, the Bengali community in the new state was not ready to accept them as fellow citizens. This has forced them to languish in squalid camps for decades without having any basic requirements of life, including food, healthcare and education. Successive governments in Pakistan promised the repatriation and rehabilitation of these people but none of these promises have been fulfilled. However, there was an attempt to repatriate them during the time of President Gen. Zia-ul-Haq and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Now that Sharif has come to power for a third time, the stranded Pakistani community hopes that he will find a way to repatriate them. I concluded my speech with a Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Allah will help a person so long as he is helping his brother.”
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
