ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Wednesday commemorated the 27th anniversary of its nuclear tests, which it had conducted in the remote Chaghi district of southwestern Balochistan province in 1998.

On May 28, 1998, a group of Pakistani scientists, led Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program, and Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, conducted six nuclear tests. Pakistan became the seventh nuclear nation in the world and the first Muslim state to have a nuclear weapon.

While there were no grand celebrations to mark the event -- commonly known as Youm-e-Takbeer -- as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other high officials are on a foreign visit, several seminars and conferences were held by the government and lawmakers from different parties across the country.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate messages, vowed to safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan.

"This day serves as a reminder of our commitment to safeguarding the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of our beloved country," Zardari said in a statement.

He said becoming a nuclear power was not merely a demonstration of their technological advancement but a calculated decision to ensure peace through strength, to maintain the strategic balance in South Asia, and to protect their nation against any external aggression.

"Pakistan does not seek conflict and is committed to the principles of peaceful coexistence and respect for international law," he added.

Sharif praised the scientists and engineers "who turned the vision and aspirations of the entire nation into reality."

"In the same spirit of unity and resolve, we pledge to build Pakistan into a strong economic power that would become the envy of the world," he said on X.