In the history of Pakistan, May 28, 1998, is as important as 14 August 1947, when it was born. On that day, the country created history by testing five atomic bombs, which for the moment silenced India – its arch foe – and punctured the idea of the nuclear non-proliferation, much to the anxiety of most of the world including the United States. The Pakistanis feel proud of the day and celebrate May 28 as Yaum-e-Takbeer (The Great Day) every year. In Jeddah, the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) celebrated the day Wednesday evening, which was attended by several Pakistanis of importance. Noted guests among others were Syed Anwar Hussain, staff officer to the minister at Pakistani Consulate, Vice Consul Khalid Aziz, Engr. Khaled Jawed of Pakistan Engineers Society, and Ilyas Meher of Pakistan Peoples Community. The PRC took the occasion to organize a symposium to ponder over the “necessity of the nuclear capability and responsibilities of Pakistan to move beyond the testing of nuclear bombs.” At the end, the PRC adopted resolutions that demanded the Pakistan government to create a Nuclear Research University under Abdul Qadeer Khan “for peaceful use of nuclear technology in the field of energy, agriculture, medicine and other fields of sciences to benefit the common people.” The PRC, which was founded on the issue of the repatriation of those Pakistanis who are stuck in Bangladesh since the 1971 war remembered them on this “Great Day” and urged leaders of the country to “reactivate the Rabita Trust (frozen in October 2001) and restart the process of repatriation and rehabilitation.” It asked for the “settlement of stranded Pakistanis on self finance basis”. It also urged Bangladesh to “play its role in solving the issue.” PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haq praised speakers and poets on their presentations in the symposium. He also underlined the importance of utilizing the nuclear facility in its “peaceful use for the country which is undergoing crises in sectors of power, water, and agriculture.”
