On May 28, 1998, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a public rally in the German city of Göttingen to protest against Pakistan’s nuclear tests conducted in Balochistan. The event featured a street theater performance titled “The Day the Mountains Wept”, which portrayed the lasting human and environmental impact of those nuclear experiments.
In their speeches, the speakers emphasized that these nuclear tests were not acts of defense, but deliberate violence inflicted upon an oppressed nation. They stated that the people of Chagai suffered silently from radiation exposure, illness, and forced displacement. On that day, without the consent of the Baloch nation, a once-fertile region of Chagai was turned into a radioactive wasteland.
To this day, they noted, the people of Chagai continue to breathe contaminated air and drink poisoned water. The region has become a hotspot for cancer and genetic disorders. While Pakistan claims Chagai is barren, in reality, 269,000 people live there — with homes, farmlands, and dreams. The nuclear blasts shattered not only the mountains but countless lives.
The speakers declared May 28 a Black Day — the day Pakistan devalued Baloch lives, planted bombs in their soil and souls, and celebrated, while the Baloch nation endured the trauma in silence.
They pointed out that the nuclear tests were conducted in a region already devastated by poverty and state repression. No safety protocols were followed, no evacuations arranged, and no remorse shown. Even today, the people of Chagai continue to suffer from the radioactive legacy left behind.
The speakers called on the international community to investigate Pakistan’s criminal negligence during the tests, address the resulting environmental and health crises, and take meaningful action against Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
Those who addressed the rally included BNM Germany Chapter President Shar Hassan Baloch, Vice President Safia Baloch, Joint Secretary Shali Baloch, and BNM members Asif Baloch, Faisal Khalid, Akbar Baloch, and Shali Zakir.
