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Army forces herdsmen out of Chagai hills

Herdsmen near the nuclear test site in the Chagai hills in remote southwestern Baluchistan province said the army forced them out of the area. And on Saturday, when Pakistan conducted another nuclear test, the security was heavy.

The test, measuring about 18 kilotons, follows on the heels of Thursday's test of five nuclear devices, measuring as much as 35 kilotons.

Near the test site, local herdsmen were wondering when they could go home. When the army came into the region earlier this week they were not told about any nuclear testing. They said they were just told to leave the area.

They packed their camel-skin tents and threw their few possessions on donkeys and scrambled from the region.

They were forced to leave behind their goats and sheep, they said. Now they are worried about what might have happened to them.

''We have no idea what has happened to them,'' said Mohammed Hayat, 25. ''We have left everything. Three days before the blasts (on Thursday) the troops came and told us to get out. We were not allowed to take anything.''

Another shepherd, Hussein Baksh, 45, said 25 families from the village of Killi Khair Mohammed were ordered out of their homes before Thursday's explosions.

''We did not know what was going on,'' he said. ''No one told us anything.''

Following Thursday's explosions, the shepherds said they could feel the tremors from the explosions, but thought it was an earthquake.

''We have no idea where to go,'' said Baksh. ''We are staying with people from our tribe, who gave us refuge, but we are worried about our flocks.''

So far no one has told the herdsmen when they can return home.

UNI

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