Twenty-eight years have passed since Pakistan experienced one of the most consequential moments in its history; Youm-e-Takbeer is not just a date to be commemorated; it is a day embedded in the national consciousness. When the mountains of Chagai bore witness to Pakistan’s nuclear tests, the message conveyed was far greater than the yield of any explosion. It was a declaration that sovereignty, once achieved, requires unwavering defence.

Pakistan’s decision to conduct five nuclear tests on 28 May 1998 was a direct response to India’s detonations earlier that month. It was not a choice taken lightly. With those tests, Pakistan became the seventh nuclear power in the world and the first among Muslim nations. This decision changed the South Asian security architecture and helped restore the balance of power, ensuring that India would not be the sole dominant power in the region.

Youm-e-Takbeer was built on a doctrine of restraint, self-defence, and strategic necessity. It represents strength and resolve, as well as the strategic wisdom of the historically decorated leaders, in addition to our unsung heroes. The political and Army leadership at the time as well as scientists played a key role in building the nuclear capability and going ahead with the tests for the sake of the nation’s sovereignty. Despite immense........

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