28th May
The astrologers are predicting 21st June 1998 as the date when war will erupt between India and Pakistan. They also say that if it does not then the rest of the year will pass peacefully.
Foreign Minister Gauhar Ayub has stated that guesstimates of when the nuke tests will take place are just like guessing how many days should the eggs remain beneath the hen. The Action Committee of Traders in Peshawar has suggested to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that he should do an Istikhara on whether to conduct tests or not. An Istikhara is a procedure whereby consolation is sought from Allah, who gives signs in the seeker's dreams. Pakistan Transport Workers Union Punjab has urged the PM and the army chief to carry out the tests. Quoting history, the union president said that when Gandhi had asked how will Pakistan be made, the freedom fighter Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar had slapped him and said, "That's how". Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) as part of its cleanliness drive has rounded up 28 cows and exiled them from the city. The operation was filmed on video.
29th May
Five nuclear tests have taken place today followed by imposition of financial emergency, freezing foreign currency accounts and suspending fundamental rights. The PM has quit his secretariat and called for an austerity drive.
The PM spent sleepless nights in the run-up to the blasts, says a special correspondent. Not only did he seek advice from technical and professional people but from laymen also, including his driver and chef, Shakeel. Headline: Nuclear blasts: masses celebrate, elites frown Daler Mehdi, the Sikh bhangra singer, has said that the blasts have pushed Lahore and Amritsar thousands of miles apart. Cricketer Inzamam ul Haq has observed that we are healthier and stronger than Indians anyway. All-Pakistan Truck Drivers Union has offered to supply ammunition to frontline bunkers free of cost, whenever the need arises. TV Monitoring Cell reports that when PM Vajpayee was announcing the news of the Pakistani tests in Lok Sabha, the jaw of Minister Madan Lal Khurana dropped and his lips formed an "O". The jaw remained dropped for the entirety of the announcement. Moreover, while talking to newspersons later Defence Minister George Fernandes repeatedly licked his lips as if his mouth had gone dry. Kate Winslet is learning yoga. The Metropolitan Corporation has impounded 136 more cattle. It is not confirmed if this operation was filmed or not. YWCA Pakistan in a letter to YWCA World has condemned nuclear blasts by India.