On May 28 (Wednesday), all banks across the country will remain closed in observance of Youm-e-Takbeer. The Government of Pakistan has declared a nationwide public holiday to commemorate the historic nuclear tests conducted on May 28, 1998, which marked Pakistan’s emergence as a nuclear power.
The State Bank of Pakistan issued a notification stating, “The State Bank of Pakistan will remain closed on May 28, 2025 (Wednesday) being public holiday on the occasion of ‘Youm-e-Takbeer’, as declared by the Government of Pakistan.” The Sindh government also announced a public holiday on Monday to mark this historic occasion, leading to the closure of both government and private institutions. The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has also confirmed its closure on May 28. It’s worth noting that May 28 is observed as a gazetted holiday across the country, a notification for which was already issued by the Cabinet Division last year.
With these successful nuclear tests, Pakistan became the seventh nuclear-armed country in the world and the first in the Islamic world. India’s first “device” test in 1974 compelled Pakistan to expedite its nuclear program with renewed commitment. Amidst slogans of “Allah-o-Akbar,” Pakistan conducted its first test on May 28, 1998, at the Ras Koh hills in the Chaghai District of Balochistan. These nuclear tests not only demonstrated Pakistan’s resolve to safeguard the country’s territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty but also its desire to preserve strategic balance in South Asia.
