Black day protest in Amsterdam targets Pakistan over nuclear tests in Balochistan

Amsterdam [Netherlands], May 29 (ANI): Marking Youm-e-Asrokh (Black Day), the Baloch National Movement (BNM) organised a protest rally and awareness campaign in Amsterdam, Netherlands, condemning Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests in Chaghi, Balochistan, and highlighting their alleged long-term humanitarian and environmental consequences.

In a post shared on X, BNM stated that the rally commenced from Amsterdam Central Station and concluded at Dam Square, drawing Baloch activists and supporters. Participants carried Baloch national flags and placards criticising Pakistan's nuclear programme and demanding international attention to the impact of the tests on local communities in Balochistan.

Photographs from the demonstration showed protesters marching through central Amsterdam with banners reading, "Balochistan Still Pays the Price of Nuclear Testing." One banner claimed that the effects of Pakistan's nuclear detonations continue to affect generations in the region. Demonstrators distributed informational material and addressed passersby about what they described as the lasting environmental damage caused by the tests conducted in the Chaghi district on May 28, 1998.

At Dam Square, speakers accused Pakistan of using Balochistan as a testing ground without considering the welfare of the local population. Protesters called on international human rights organisations and global institutions to investigate the alleged health and ecological consequences linked to the nuclear explosions. The event formed part of a broader campaign by BNM to commemorate Black Day and draw attention to grievances related to Balochistan.

The Amsterdam rally followed similar awareness campaigns conducted by the BNM's UK chapter in several British cities, including London, Manchester, and Cambridge. Those events also focused on raising awareness about the alleged environmental degradation, health concerns, and socio-economic challenges faced by communities living near the Chaghi test site.

According to the World Nuclear Association, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's (PAEC) first nuclear power reactor, Karachi 1 (K1, KANUPP 1) at Paradise Point in Sindh province, about 25 km west of Karachi, was a small 100 MWe (90 MWe net) Canadian pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR). (ANI)

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