Quetta, May 28 – The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has issued a strong condemnation of Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests conducted in the Chaghi Balochistan, calling the day Youm-e-Aasrok – a day of sorrow and repression in Baloch history. The forum has urged the Baloch nation to unite against all forms of oppression and called on international human rights organizations to demand accountability for the long-term human and environmental impacts of the nuclear detonations in Raaskoh.
On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests in the Raaskoh mountains, an event the BWF describes not as a scientific breakthrough, but as a deliberate act of violence against the Baloch people. According to the forum, the tests were conducted without evacuating the nearby population or assessing the environmental risks—resulting in widespread radiation-linked illnesses and long-term ecological devastation.
Health Crisis and Environmental Catastrophe
Following the nuclear explosions, residents of Chaghi began to suffer from a wide array of fatal diseases including multiple forms of cancer, genetic disorders, thyroid issues, brain tumors, cardiovascular complications, and infant mortality. BWF highlights that these diseases have persisted for over two decades, exacerbated by the absence of medical infrastructure in the region.
“The soil, water, and air of Chaghi have all been contaminated,” reads the BWF statement. “Agriculture has vanished, the land is barren, and the people are forced to migrate or suffer in silence.”
BWF’s Stance on the Nuclear Tests
The Baloch Women Forum argues that Balochistan was deliberately chosen for nuclear testing due to its political marginalization. “It was not just a nuclear test; it was a nuclear attack on the Baloch nation,” the statement adds. “This bleak chapter reveals the federation’s constant disregard for the Baloch people while exploiting their land for strategic and military gains.”
BWF has denounced not only the central government but also state institutions and assemblies for their silence and complicity in what it calls a humanitarian crime.
Call for Baloch Unity and Global Action
In a powerful message directed to the Baloch nation, the BWF urged unity and collective resistance: “It is high time we stood united for what is ours—whether grief, pains, turmoil or bliss. They emphasized the importance of treating the Chaghi incident not just as a regional issue but as a national wound that requires national healing and international acknowledgment.
The statement concluded with a direct appeal to the international community:
“Dear world, we call on all global human rights organizations, media outlets, and legal bodies to break their silence. Nuclear tests are a humanitarian issue, and the Baloch people have been suffering its consequences silently for decades.”
