BALOCHISTAN: The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has announced the launch of an international awareness campaign on May 28, coinciding with Youm-e-Asrokh, the anniversary of Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests conducted in the Chagai, Balochistan.
BNM spokesperson said in a press release that the campaign will focus on highlighting the long-lasting human, environmental, social, and public health consequences of the nuclear tests carried out on May 28, 1998, in Chagai.
The spokesperson said the movement will reach out to human rights organisations, environmental groups, academic institutions, civil society, media outlets, and individuals across different countries to raise awareness about the radioactive consequences of the tests, uranium mining from Baloch land, and what the group describes as the dumping of nuclear waste on Baloch soil.
“The nuclear tests of May 28, 1998, are officially presented by the state as a national achievement, but for Balochistan, that day marked a nuclear scar whose effects are still being suffered by the local population today,” the spokesperson said, adding that Pakistan chose Baloch land for its nuclear explosions as a form of collective punishment against the Baloch nation.
BNM further stated that Balochistan’s land, resources and geography have historically been used by Pakistan for military and strategic objectives, a situation it says will continue until Baloch national freedom is achieved.
All BNM chapters have been instructed to organise prominent programmes on May 28, including protests, media campaigns, distribution of pamphlets, and documentation of what the group describes as Pakistani crimes against the Baloch people.
