Youm-e-Takbir ( ur, ; lit. ''The day of greatness'') is celebrated as a national day in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
on May 28 in commemoration of
Chagai-I
Chagai-I is the code name of five simultaneous underground nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan at 15:15 hrs PKT on 28 May 1998. The tests were performed at Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai District of Balochistan Province.
Chagai-I was Pakistan' ...
and
Chagai-II
Chagai-II is the codename assigned to the second atomic test conducted by Pakistan, carried out on 30 May 1998 in the Kharan Desert in Balochistan Province of Pakistan. ''Chagai-II'' took place two days after Pakistan's first successful test, ...
series of nuclear tests. The nuclear tests made Pakistan the seventh nation to possess nuclear weapons and the first in the Muslim world.
Etymology
This phrase is recited by
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s in many different situations. For example, when they are very happy, during times of extreme stress, to express approval, to praise a speaker, or as a
battle cry
A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group.
Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...
(contemporarily used by
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
). In the
Islamic world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
, instead of
applause
Applause (Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performance ...
, often someone will shout ''Takbir'' or ''Nara-e-Takbir'' (in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
) and the crowd will respond with ''Allahu Akbar'' (God is great). The word is also used in Muslim prayers. The Government of Pakistan asked for proposals from the nation to decide a name by which the day should be celebrated. A country wide campaign was launched to select the name for this particular day. Thousands of names were propose by millions of Pakistanis. This name was suggested by more than one person. All the people who suggested this name were given away Prime Minister Award. Youm-e-Takbir here can be translated to "The day of greatness" or "The day of God's greatness".
History
The
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
at the time,
Mian Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...
and by the joint efforts of Dr
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan, (; ur, ; 1 April 1936 – 10 October 2021), known as A. Q. Khan, was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer. He was a key figure in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and is colloquially known as the ...
ordered the launching of the nuclear bomb test in response to Indian threats and nuclear tests (''
Smiling Buddha
Operation Smiling BuddhaThis test has many code names. Civilian scientists called it "Operation Smiling Buddha" and the Indian Army referred to it as ''Operation Happy Krishna''. According to United States Military Intelligence, ''Operation H ...
''). The name was proposed by Iqbaliat Professor Dr. Shahid Iqbal Kamran of
Allama Iqbal Open University
Allama Iqbal Open University is a public university in Islamabad, Pakistan.
It is named after Allama Iqbal.
The university is the world's second largest institution of higher learning, with an annual enrollment of 1,121,038 students (), the m ...
in 1998. Sharif liked the name and gave the certificate himself to Shahid.
Celebrations
The day was officially signed by Prime Minister Sharif. It was first celebrated by giving awards such as the Chagai Medal to various individuals and industries in the fields of science and industry. The Sharif government also established the Chagai I Medal which was first awarded to the scientists of Pakistan in 1998 who witnessed the tests. The graphite mountains are visibly shown in the gold medallion and equal ribbon stripes of yellow, red and white.Public holidays in PakistanMay observancesNuclear history of PakistanNawaz Sharif administrationNuclear weapons programme of Pakistan
thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
