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{{Short description|Pakistan's second nuclear weapons test (1998)}}
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'''Chagai-II''' is the [[codename]] assigned to the second [[Atomic tests|atomic test]] conducted by Pakistan, carried out on 30 May 1998 in the [[Kharan Desert]] in Balochistan Province of Pakistan.<ref name="District Development Profile 2011"/> ''Chagai-II'' took place two days after Pakistan's first successful [[nuclear test|test]], ''[[Chagai-I]]'', which was carried out on 28 May 1998 in the [[Ras Koh Hills|Ras Koh area]] in [[Chagai District]], [[Balochistan, Pakistan]].
'''Chagai-II''' is the [[codename]] assigned to the second [[Atomic tests|atomic test]] conducted by [[Pakistan]], carried out on 30 May 1998 in the [[Kharan Desert]] in [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Province of Pakistan]].<ref name="District Development Profile 2011"/> ''Chagai-II'' took place two days after Pakistan's first successful [[nuclear test|test]], ''[[Chagai-I]]'', which was carried out on 28 May 1998 in the [[Ras Koh Hills|Ras Koh area]] in [[Chagai District]], Balochistan, Pakistan.


The initial goals were to test the new designs of the weapon rather than studying the effects, and were different from the first tests in that they were primarily conducted by the [[Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission]] (PAEC), with the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] [[Military engineering|engineering formations]] having only a supporting role.<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005" />
The initial goals were to test the new designs of the weapon rather than studying the effects, and were different from the first tests in that they were primarily conducted by the [[Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission]] (PAEC), with the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] [[Military engineering|engineering formations]] having only a supporting role.<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005" />
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===Selection and planning===
===Selection and planning===


The [[Kharan Desert]] is a [[Dune|sandy]] and [[Mountain ranges of Pakistan|mountainous]] desert, with very high temperatures.<ref>{{cite web |last1=FAS|title=Kharan Desert|publisher=Federation of American Scientists |url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/facility/kharan.htm|website=fas.org/|access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> The region is characterised by very low rainfall, high summer temperature, high velocity winds, poor soils, very sparse vegetation and a low diversity of plant species; its average temperature are recorded  {{convert|55|C|F}} in summer and  {{convert|2.5|C|F}} in winter session (sources vary).<ref name="District Development Profile 2011">{{cite web|last1=Planning & Development Department Government of Balochistan, Quetta |date=July 18, 2011 |title=District Development Profile 2011: Kharan|url= http://balochistan.gov.pk/DistrictProfile/DDP%20Final%202012/Kharan/Kharan.pdf |website=balochistan.gov.pk/ |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913014500/http://balochistan.gov.pk/DistrictProfile/DDP%20Final%202012/Kharan/Kharan.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kharan documentary |url=http://www.slideshare.net/arslan6575/kharan-desert|publisher=Kharan documentary|access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Pakistan 360|title=Kharan Desert |publisher=Pakistan 360 |website=pakistan360degrees.com/ |url=http://pakistan360degrees.com/tag/desert/|access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mares |first=Michael A. |year=1999 |title=Encyclopedia of Deserts |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |pages=301–302 |isbn=978-0-8061-3146-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3CbqZtaF4oC&pg=PA301}}</ref>
The [[Kharan Desert]] is a [[Dune|sandy]] and [[Mountain ranges of Pakistan|mountainous]] desert, with very high temperatures.<ref>{{cite web |last1=FAS|title=Kharan Desert|publisher=Federation of American Scientists |url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/facility/kharan.htm|website=fas.org/|access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref> The region is characterised by very low rainfall, high summer temperature, high velocity winds, poor soils, very sparse vegetation and a low diversity of plant species; its average temperature are recorded  {{convert|55|C|F}} in summer and  {{convert|2.5|C|F}} in winter session (sources vary).<ref name="District Development Profile 2011">{{cite web|last1=Planning & Development Department Government of Balochistan, Quetta |date=July 18, 2011 |title=District Development Profile 2011: Kharan|url= http://balochistan.gov.pk/DistrictProfile/DDP%20Final%202012/Kharan/Kharan.pdf |website=balochistan.gov.pk/ |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913014500/http://balochistan.gov.pk/DistrictProfile/DDP%20Final%202012/Kharan/Kharan.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kharan documentary |date=26 January 2014 |url=http://www.slideshare.net/arslan6575/kharan-desert|publisher=Kharan documentary|access-date=10 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Pakistan 360|title=Kharan Desert|publisher=Pakistan 360|website=pakistan360degrees.com/|url=http://pakistan360degrees.com/tag/desert/|access-date=10 June 2015|archive-date=2020-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106003440/http://pakistan360degrees.com/tag/desert/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mares |first=Michael A. |year=1999 |title=Encyclopedia of Deserts |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |pages=301–302 |isbn=978-0-8061-3146-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3CbqZtaF4oC&pg=PA301}}</ref>


Safety and security required an isolated, remote, and [[Residency (domicile)|inhabitant]] area with [[List of extreme weather records in Pakistan|extreme weather]] conditions to prevent any possible [[Radioactive Fallout]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=20–21}}</ref> For this purpose, a [[three-dimensional space|three-dimensional]] [[Geological survey|survey]] was commenced by nuclear physicist Dr. [[Ishfaq Ahmad]] assisted by [[seismologist]] Dr. Ahsan Mubarak; it received final approval from [[Munir Ahmad Khan|Munir Ahmad]] in 1976.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)">{{cite web |last=Azam|first=Rai Muhammad Saleh|title=When Mountains Move|work=Rai Muhammad Saleh Azam|publisher=The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal (2000)|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chaghi.htm|access-date=8 May 2012|location=Karachi, Pakistan|pages=1|date=June 2000}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Unlike the [[granite]] mountains, the PAEC requirement was to find a suitable site in a desert region with almost no wildlife to prevent any kind of [[mutation]], and to study blast effects of the weapons.<ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=280–282}}</ref>
Safety and security required an isolated, remote, and [[Residency (domicile)|inhabitant]] area with [[List of extreme weather records in Pakistan|extreme weather]] conditions to prevent any possible [[Radioactive Fallout]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=20–21}}</ref> For this purpose, a [[three-dimensional space|three-dimensional]] [[Geological survey|survey]] was commenced by nuclear physicist Dr. [[Ishfaq Ahmad]] assisted by [[seismologist]] Dr. Ahsan Mubarak; it received final approval from [[Munir Ahmad Khan|Munir Ahmad]] in 1976.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)">{{cite web |last=Azam|first=Rai Muhammad Saleh|title=When Mountains Move|work=Rai Muhammad Saleh Azam|publisher=The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal (2000)|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chaghi.htm|access-date=8 May 2012|location=Karachi, Pakistan|pages=1|date=June 2000}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Unlike the [[granite]] mountains, the PAEC requirement was to find a suitable site in a desert region with almost no wildlife to prevent any kind of [[mutation]], and to study blast effects of the weapons.<ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=280–282}}</ref>


The weapon-testing sites were suspected to be located at [[Kharan Desert|Kharan]], in a desert valley between the [[Ras Koh Hills|Ras Koh]] region to the north and [[Siahan Range]] to the south.<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> Subsequently, the [[Chagai Hills|Chagai]]-[[Ras Koh]]-Kharan were cordoned off, becoming restricted entry zones closed to the public.<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive">{{Cite web |last=Sublette |first =Carey |title=Historical Background: §Preparing to Build the Bomb |work=Nuclear Weapon Archive |publisher=nuclearweaponarchive.org |date=2 January 2002 |url=http://www.nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/PakOrigin.html|access-date=2011-11-11}}</ref>
The weapon-testing sites were suspected to be located at [[Kharan Desert|Kharan]], in a desert valley between the [[Ras Koh Hills|Ras Koh]] region to the north and [[Siahan Range]] to the south.<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> Subsequently, the [[Chagai Hills|Chagai]]-[[Ras Koh]]-Kharan were cordoned off, becoming restricted entry zones closed to the public.<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive">{{Cite web |last=Sublette |first =Carey |title=Historical Background: §Preparing to Build the Bomb |work=Nuclear Weapon Archive |date=2 January 2002 |url=http://www.nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/PakOrigin.html|access-date=2011-11-11}}</ref>
[[File:Nuclear explosion craters schema 1.png|right|thumb|upright=1.35|According to the PAEC, the weapon-testing labs were deeply crafted, L-shaped horizontal tunnels.<ref>{{cite web|last=PAEC Govt.|title=The Weapon-Testing Laboratories: An illustration by PAEC.|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo3WbA8zXZk |publisher=Government of Pakistan release|access-date=7 September 2012}}{{verification needed |date=September 2021|reason=None of the textual data matched the YouTube video pointed to by the URL.}}</ref> A close depiction can be seen in diagram d, e, and f. The tests left a crater as its mark, similar to the illustration above.]]
[[File:Nuclear explosion craters schema 1.png|right|thumb|upright=1.35|According to the PAEC, the weapon-testing labs were deeply crafted, L-shaped horizontal tunnels.<ref>{{cite web|last=PAEC Govt.|title=The Weapon-Testing Laboratories: An illustration by PAEC.|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo3WbA8zXZk |publisher=Government of Pakistan release|access-date=7 September 2012}}{{verify source |date=September 2021|reason=None of the textual data matched the YouTube video pointed to by the URL.}}</ref> A close depiction can be seen in diagram d, e, and f. The tests left a crater as its mark, similar to the illustration above.]]


After PAEC officials clearing with Prime minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], the preparations and [[Military logistics|logistics]] matters were given to the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]].<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> A secretly coded telegram was sent from the [[Prime Minister's Secretariat (Pakistan)|Prime Minister's Secretariat]] to [[V Corps (Pakistan)|V Corps]] Brigadier Muhammad Sarfraz.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> A helicopter, was arranged for the civilian scientists by Sarfraz.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> In 1977, Sarfraz was dispatched to the [[Military Engineering Service]] to commission [[Military engineering|engineering formations]] of the Pakistan military by General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]], the [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]].<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> The PAEC officials readily agreed that the secondary tests would be scientific in nature with the armed forces playing the engineering roles.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/>
After PAEC officials clearing with Prime minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], the preparations and [[Military logistics|logistics]] matters were given to the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]].<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> A secretly coded telegram was sent from the [[Prime Minister's Secretariat (Pakistan)|Prime Minister's Secretariat]] to [[V Corps (Pakistan)|V Corps]] Brigadier Muhammad Sarfraz.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> A helicopter, was arranged for the civilian scientists by Sarfraz.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> In 1977, Sarfraz was dispatched to the [[Military Engineering Service]] to commission [[Military engineering|engineering formations]] of the Pakistan military by General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]], the [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]].<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> The PAEC officials readily agreed that the secondary tests would be scientific in nature with the armed forces playing the engineering roles.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/>


The Special Development Works (SDW), assisted by the [[Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]], [[Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering]] (PEME), and [[Frontier Works Organisation]] (FWO), spearheaded the engineering of the potential sites.<ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=183–184}}</ref> The military engineers were well aware of satellite detection, therefore the site at Kharan was constructed with extra cautions.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=25}}</ref> The SDW built around 24 cold test sites, 46 short tunnels, and 35 underground accommodations for troops and command, control and monitoring facilities.<ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=184}}</ref> The test site was {{convert|300|by|200|ft}} and was L-shaped [[Shaft (civil engineering)|horizontal shafts]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=24–25}}</ref> Extensive installations of diagnostic cables, [[motion sensors]], and monitoring stations were established inside the test site.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=26–27}}</ref> It took nearly 2–3 years for the SDW to prepare and preparations were completed in 1980, before Pakistan acquired the capability to physically develop an atomic bomb.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/>
The Special Development Works (SDW), assisted by the [[Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]], [[Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering]] (PEME), and [[Frontier Works Organisation]] (FWO), spearheaded the engineering of the potential sites.<ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=183–184}}</ref> The military engineers were well aware of satellite detection, therefore the site at Kharan was constructed with extra cautions.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=25}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=184}}</ref> The test site was {{convert|300|by|200|ft}} and was L-shaped [[Shaft (civil engineering)|horizontal shafts]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=24–25}}</ref> Extensive installations of diagnostic cables, [[motion sensors]], and monitoring stations were established inside the test site.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=26–27}}</ref> It took nearly 2–3 years for the SDW to prepare and preparations were completed in 1980.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/>


After posting at the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|General Headquarters]], Sarfraz transferred the work to Lieutenant-General [[Zahid Ali Akbar Khan|Zahid Ali Akbar]], the [[Engineer-in-Chief (Pakistan Army)|Engineer-in-Chief]] of the [[Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|loc=§The nuclear development under Army: General Zahid Ali}}</ref> The modernisation of the tests labs were undertaken by the FWO; the FWO uncredited work in the construction of the weapon-testings labs in Kharan Desert, and had supervised the entire construction on the sites along with the SDW.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=28–30}}</ref>
After posting at the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|General Headquarters]], Sarfraz transferred the work to Lieutenant-General [[Zahid Ali Akbar Khan|Zahid Ali Akbar]], the [[Engineer-in-Chief (Pakistan Army)|Engineer-in-Chief]] of the [[Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|loc=§The nuclear development under Army: General Zahid Ali}}</ref> The modernisation of the tests labs were undertaken by the FWO; the FWO uncredited work in the construction of the weapon-testings labs in Kharan Desert, and had supervised the entire construction on the sites along with the SDW.<ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=28–30}}</ref>
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The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) teams of scientists and engineers arrived at the site led by Dr. [[Samar Mubarakmand]], a [[nuclear physicist]].<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> The tests were conducted on 30 May 1998 at 13:10&nbsp;[[Hour|hrs]] (1:10&nbsp;pm) ([[Pakistan Standard Time|PKT]]).<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> The [[atomic bomb]] was small in size but very efficient and produced a very powerful [[shock wave]] and [[Nuclear weapon yield|blast yield]].<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005"/><ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=30–31}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=185–186}}</ref>
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) teams of scientists and engineers arrived at the site led by Dr. [[Samar Mubarakmand]], a [[nuclear physicist]].<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> The tests were conducted on 30 May 1998 at 13:10&nbsp;[[Hour|hrs]] (1:10&nbsp;pm) ([[Pakistan Standard Time|PKT]]).<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> The [[atomic bomb]] was small in size but very efficient and produced a very powerful [[shock wave]] and [[Nuclear weapon yield|blast yield]].<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005"/><ref>{{harvtxt|Shahid-ur-Rehman|1999|pp=30–31}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=185–186}}</ref>


The devices were [[boosted fission weapon]]s using [[Weapons-grade#Weapons-grade plutonium|military-grade]] plutonium, yielding 60.1% of the first tests performed two days earlier.<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005">{{cite web|last1=Mir|first1=Hamid|title=Interview with Samar Mubarakmand |url=http://pakdef.org/geo-tv-capital-talk-special-interview-with-dr-samar-mubarakmand-n-i-h-i-s-i-chairman-nescom/|website=pakdef.org/ |publisher=PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005|access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919113940/http://pakdef.org/geo-tv-capital-talk-special-interview-with-dr-samar-mubarakmand-n-i-h-i-s-i-chairman-nescom/|archive-date=19 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Theoretical Physics Group (TPG) calculated that the blast yield was 20&nbsp;[[kilotonne|kt]] of [[TNT equivalent]].<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> Although the [[American Physical Society]] estimated the yield at {{convert|8|ktonTNT}} based on data received by their computer,<ref name="Binnington Reed"/><ref>{{harvtxt|Reed|2009|pp=250–255}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Albright|first1=David |date=2004 |title=The shots heard 'round the world|journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists|publisher=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.|issn=0096-3402|pages=22–25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vAsAAAAAMBAJ |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> Dr. [[Abdul Qadeer Khan]] confirmed the TPG blast calculations in an interview in 1998.<ref name="Khan 2012 200–202">{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=200–202}}</ref><ref name="Published in Nuclear weapon archives data">{{cite news |last1=Khan|first1=Kamran |author-link1=Kamran Khan (journalist) |title=Interview with Abdul Qadeer Khan |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/KhanInterview.html|access-date=14 June 2015 |date=30 May 1998 |work=The News International |via=nuclearweaponarchive.org |location=Islamabad |pages=1–1}}</ref>
The devices were [[boosted fission weapon]]s using [[Weapons-grade#Weapons-grade plutonium|military-grade]] plutonium, yielding 60.1% of the first tests performed two days earlier.<ref name="PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005">{{cite web|last1=Mir|first1=Hamid|title=Interview with Samar Mubarakmand |url=http://pakdef.org/geo-tv-capital-talk-special-interview-with-dr-samar-mubarakmand-n-i-h-i-s-i-chairman-nescom/|website=pakdef.org/ |publisher=PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005|access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919113940/http://pakdef.org/geo-tv-capital-talk-special-interview-with-dr-samar-mubarakmand-n-i-h-i-s-i-chairman-nescom/|archive-date=19 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The device was of a design cold tested  in 1992.<ref>Ahmed, M. (2022). Pakistan’s pathway to the bomb: Ambitions, Politics, and Rivalries. South Asia in World Affairs</ref> The Theoretical Physics Group (TPG) calculated that the blast yield was 20&nbsp;[[kilotonne|kt]] of [[TNT equivalent]].<ref name="Carey Sublette of the nuclear weapon archive"/> Although the [[American Physical Society]] estimated the yield at {{convert|8|ktonTNT}} based on data received by their computer,<ref name="Binnington Reed"/><ref>{{harvtxt|Reed|2009|pp=250–255}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Albright|first1=David |date=2004 |title=The shots heard 'round the world|journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists|publisher=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.|issn=0096-3402|pages=22–25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vAsAAAAAMBAJ |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> Dr. [[Abdul Qadeer Khan]] confirmed the TPG blast calculations in an interview in 1998.<ref name="Khan 2012 200–202">{{harvtxt|Khan|2012|pp=200–202}}</ref><ref name="Published in Nuclear weapon archives data">{{cite news |last1=Khan|first1=Kamran |author-link1=Kamran Khan (journalist) |title=Interview with Abdul Qadeer Khan |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Pakistan/KhanInterview.html|access-date=14 June 2015 |date=30 May 1998 |work=The News International |via=nuclearweaponarchive.org |location=Islamabad |pages=1}}</ref>


A crater now takes the place of what used to be a small hillock in the rolling desert, marking the ground zero of the nuclear test.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/> The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (or PAEC) had tested one or more plutonium nuclear devices, and the results and data of the devices were successful as was expected by the Pakistan's mathematicians and seismologists.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/><ref>{{Cite web
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (or PAEC) had tested one or more plutonium nuclear devices, and the results and data of the devices were successful as was expected by the Pakistan's mathematicians and seismologists.<ref name="The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal of Pakistan (2000)"/><ref>{{Cite web
| title =Nuclear Tests:§The Plutonium Device
| title =Nuclear Tests:§The Plutonium Device
| url =https://fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/
| url =https://fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/
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*[[Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi|Hafeez Qureshi]], Directorate of Technical Development (DTD)
*[[Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi|Hafeez Qureshi]], Directorate of Technical Development (DTD)
*Irfan Burney, Director of Directorate of Technical Procurement (DTP).
*Irfan Burney, Director of Directorate of Technical Procurement (DTP).
*Tariq Salija, Director of the Radiation and Istope Applications Division (RIAD).
*Tariq Salija, Director of the Radiation and Isotope Applications Division (RIAD).
*Muhammad Jameel, Director of Directorate of Science and Engineering Services (DSES)
*Muhammad Jameel, Director of Directorate of Science and Engineering Services (DSES)
*Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
*Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
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{{refbegin|30em}}
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Feroz Hassan|title=Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan Atomic Bomb |date=2012|publisher=Stanford University Press|location=Palo Alto, CA|isbn=0804784809}}<!--|access-date=1 June 2015-->
*{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Feroz Hassan|title=Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan Atomic Bomb |date=2012|publisher=Stanford University Press|location=Palo Alto, CA|isbn=978-0804784801}}<!--|access-date=1 June 2015-->
*{{cite book|last=Reed|first=Thomas Binnington |title=The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and Its Proliferation|year=2009|publisher=Zenith Press|isbn=978-0760335024}}
*{{cite book|last=Reed|first=Thomas Binnington |title=The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and Its Proliferation|year=2009|publisher=Zenith Press|isbn=978-0760335024}}
*{{cite book|author=Shahid-ur-Rehman|title=Long Road to Chagai|date=1999|publisher=Printwise Publications |location=Islamabad|isbn=9789698500009}}<!--|access-date=1 June 2015-->
*{{cite book|author=Shahid-ur-Rehman|title=Long Road to Chagai|date=1999|publisher=Printwise Publications |location=Islamabad|isbn=9789698500009}}<!--|access-date=1 June 2015-->
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{youtube|id=Lo3WbA8zXZk|title=Chaghi-II Test}}
* {{youTube|id=Lo3WbA8zXZk|title=Chaghi-II Test}}
*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
   | title =Comparison of India's and Pakinstan's nuclear tests and the 30 May 1998 Afghanistan earthquake
   | title =Comparison of India's and Pakinstan's nuclear tests and the 30 May 1998 Afghanistan earthquake
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{{Deserts}}
{{Deserts}}
{{Nuclear power in Pakistan}}
{{Nuclear power in Pakistan}}
{{coord missing|Balochistan, Pakistan}}


[[Category:1998 in military history]]
[[Category:1998 in military history]]
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[[Category:Underground nuclear weapons testing]]
[[Category:Underground nuclear weapons testing]]
[[Category:1998 in science]]
[[Category:1998 in science]]
[[Category:May 1998 events in Asia]]
[[Category:May 1998 in Asia]]

Latest revision as of 06:44, 27 March 2026


Chagai-II
Information
CountryPakistan
Test siteKharan Desert
Period30 May 1998
Number of tests1
Test typeUnderground tests
Device typeFission
Max. yield25 kilotons of TNT (100 TJ)[1][2]
Test chronology

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.[3] Chagai-II took place two days after Pakistan's first successful test, Chagai-I, which was carried out on 28 May 1998 in the Ras Koh area in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan.

The initial goals were to test the new designs of the weapon rather than studying the effects, and were different from the first tests in that they were primarily conducted by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), with the Pakistan Armed Forces engineering formations having only a supporting role.[4]

The tests detonated implosion-type boosted-fission military-grade plutonium devices, contrary to the Chagai-I tests that were weapons-grade uranium devices.[4] The performance of these tests made it a total of six tests performed by Pakistan in May 1998.[4]

Test preparations[edit | edit source]

Selection and planning[edit | edit source]

The Kharan Desert is a sandy and mountainous desert, with very high temperatures.[5] The region is characterised by very low rainfall, high summer temperature, high velocity winds, poor soils, very sparse vegetation and a low diversity of plant species; its average temperature are recorded 55 °C (131 °F) in summer and 2.5 °C (36.5 °F) in winter session (sources vary).[3][6][7][8]

Safety and security required an isolated, remote, and inhabitant area with extreme weather conditions to prevent any possible Radioactive Fallout.[9] For this purpose, a three-dimensional survey was commenced by nuclear physicist Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad assisted by seismologist Dr. Ahsan Mubarak; it received final approval from Munir Ahmad in 1976.[10] Unlike the granite mountains, the PAEC requirement was to find a suitable site in a desert region with almost no wildlife to prevent any kind of mutation, and to study blast effects of the weapons.[11]

The weapon-testing sites were suspected to be located at Kharan, in a desert valley between the Ras Koh region to the north and Siahan Range to the south.[12] Subsequently, the Chagai-Ras Koh-Kharan were cordoned off, becoming restricted entry zones closed to the public.[12]

According to the PAEC, the weapon-testing labs were deeply crafted, L-shaped horizontal tunnels.[13] A close depiction can be seen in diagram d, e, and f. The tests left a crater as its mark, similar to the illustration above.

After PAEC officials clearing with Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the preparations and logistics matters were given to the Pakistan Armed Forces.[10] A secretly coded telegram was sent from the Prime Minister's Secretariat to V Corps Brigadier Muhammad Sarfraz.[10] A helicopter, was arranged for the civilian scientists by Sarfraz.[10] In 1977, Sarfraz was dispatched to the Military Engineering Service to commission engineering formations of the Pakistan military by General Zia-ul-Haq, the Chief of Army Staff.[10] The PAEC officials readily agreed that the secondary tests would be scientific in nature with the armed forces playing the engineering roles.[10]

The Special Development Works (SDW), assisted by the Corps of Engineers, Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (PEME), and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), spearheaded the engineering of the potential sites.[14] The military engineers were well aware of satellite detection, therefore the site at Kharan was constructed with extra cautions.[15][16] The test site was 300 by 200 feet (91 by 61 m) and was L-shaped horizontal shafts.[17] Extensive installations of diagnostic cables, motion sensors, and monitoring stations were established inside the test site.[18] It took nearly 2–3 years for the SDW to prepare and preparations were completed in 1980.[10]

After posting at the General Headquarters, Sarfraz transferred the work to Lieutenant-General Zahid Ali Akbar, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers.[19] The modernisation of the tests labs were undertaken by the FWO; the FWO uncredited work in the construction of the weapon-testings labs in Kharan Desert, and had supervised the entire construction on the sites along with the SDW.[20]

Final preparations were overseen by then-Lieutenant-Colonel Zulfikar Ali Khan and PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad, assisted by Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, the Member (Technical) of PAEC.[12]

Test and blast yields[edit | edit source]

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) teams of scientists and engineers arrived at the site led by Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, a nuclear physicist.[12] The tests were conducted on 30 May 1998 at 13:10 hrs (1:10 pm) (PKT).[12] The atomic bomb was small in size but very efficient and produced a very powerful shock wave and blast yield.[4][21][22]

The devices were boosted fission weapons using military-grade plutonium, yielding 60.1% of the first tests performed two days earlier.[4] The device was of a design cold tested in 1992.[23] The Theoretical Physics Group (TPG) calculated that the blast yield was 20 kt of TNT equivalent.[12] Although the American Physical Society estimated the yield at 8 kilotons of TNT (33 TJ) based on data received by their computer,[2][24][25] Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan confirmed the TPG blast calculations in an interview in 1998.[1][26]

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (or PAEC) had tested one or more plutonium nuclear devices, and the results and data of the devices were successful as was expected by the Pakistan's mathematicians and seismologists.[10][27]

Test teams[edit | edit source]

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission[edit | edit source]

  • Samar Mubarakmand, Member (Technical) at PAEC.
  • Hafeez Qureshi, Directorate of Technical Development (DTD)
  • Irfan Burney, Director of Directorate of Technical Procurement (DTP).
  • Tariq Salija, Director of the Radiation and Isotope Applications Division (RIAD).
  • Muhammad Jameel, Director of Directorate of Science and Engineering Services (DSES)
  • Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
  • Asghar Qadir, director, Theoretical Physics Group

Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Khan (2012, pp. 200–202)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reed (2009, p. 258)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Planning & Development Department Government of Balochistan, Quetta (18 July 2011). "District Development Profile 2011: Kharan" (PDF). balochistan.gov.pk/. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Mir, Hamid. "Interview with Samar Mubarakmand". pakdef.org/. PakDef, original aired on GEO TV in 2005. Archived from the original on 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  5. ↑ FAS. "Kharan Desert". fas.org/. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  6. ↑ "Kharan documentary". Kharan documentary. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  7. ↑ Pakistan 360. "Kharan Desert". pakistan360degrees.com/. Pakistan 360. Archived from the original on 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2015-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Mares, Michael A. (1999). Encyclopedia of Deserts. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 301–302. ISBN 978-0-8061-3146-7.
  9. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 20–21)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Azam, Rai Muhammad Saleh (June 2000). "When Mountains Move". Rai Muhammad Saleh Azam. Karachi, Pakistan: The Nation (1999) and Defence Journal (2000). p. 1. Retrieved 2012-05-08.[permanent dead link]
  11. ↑ Khan (2012, pp. 280–282)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Sublette, Carey (2 January 2002). "Historical Background: §Preparing to Build the Bomb". Nuclear Weapon Archive. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  13. ↑ PAEC Govt. "The Weapon-Testing Laboratories: An illustration by PAEC". Government of Pakistan release. Retrieved 2012-09-07.[verification needed]
  14. ↑ Khan (2012, pp. 183–184)
  15. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 25)
  16. ↑ Khan (2012, pp. 184)
  17. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 24–25)
  18. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 26–27)
  19. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, §The nuclear development under Army: General Zahid Ali)
  20. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 28–30)
  21. ↑ Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999, pp. 30–31)
  22. ↑ Khan (2012, pp. 185–186)
  23. ↑ Ahmed, M. (2022). Pakistan’s pathway to the bomb: Ambitions, Politics, and Rivalries. South Asia in World Affairs
  24. ↑ Reed (2009, pp. 250–255)
  25. ↑ Albright, David (2004). "The shots heard 'round the world". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.: 22–25. ISSN 0096-3402. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  26. ↑ Khan, Kamran (30 May 1998). "Interview with Abdul Qadeer Khan". The News International. Islamabad. p. 1. Retrieved 2015-06-14 – via nuclearweaponarchive.org.
  27. ↑ "Nuclear Tests:§The Plutonium Device". Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and Pakistan Atomic Scientists Foundation (PASF). 11 December 2002. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  • Khan, Feroz Hassan (2012). Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan Atomic Bomb. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0804784801.
  • Reed, Thomas Binnington (2009). The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and Its Proliferation. Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0760335024.
  • Shahid-ur-Rehman (1999). Long Road to Chagai. Islamabad: Printwise Publications. ISBN 9789698500009.

External links[edit | edit source]

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