Pak test fires another nuclear capable missile

Pak vowed to 'retain a strong conventional and unconventional deterrence' as it test-fired 'Ghaznavi' ballistic missile.

Pakistan on Wednesday test-fired the short-range, nuclear-capable 8216;Ghaznavi8217; ballistic missile that can target northern and western Indian cities as the government vowed to 8220;retain a strong conventional and unconventional deterrence8221;.

A strategic missile group of the Pakistan Army conducted a successful training launch of the Ghaznavi or Hatf-III missile with a range of 290 km at the end of an annual field training exercise. The location of the firing was not disclosed by the military.

This was the third test of nuclear-capable missiles by Pakistan since late January.

Earlier, the Shaheen-I ballistic missile, which has a range of 700 km, and the Ghauri ballistic missile with a range of 1,300 km, were successfully tested by the the Army8217;s Strategic Force Command ASFC.

Wednesday8217;s launch was witnessed by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani senior military officers and scientists.

A statement issued by the army said, 8220;With this launch, ASFC also concluded its highly successful winter collective training, wherein various missile groups conducted firing of live ballistic missiles under a realistic operational environment.8221;

Soomro said Pakistan stood for peace in the region.

8220;Peace comes from strength whereas weakness invites aggression. The Pakistani government is fully committed to retain a strong conventional and unconventional deterrence and will meet all the needs of a strong national defence,8221; he said addressing the troops.

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Soomro said the country is proud of its strategic forces and scientific organisations for having 8220;developed and operationalised a strong nuclear deterrence capability8221;.

Following the two previous missile tests, the government had sought to allay international community8217;s concerns about the safety of its nuclear arsenal against the backdrop of the heightened political uncertainty and extremism in the country.

President Pervez Musharraf, who witnessed the test of the Ghauri on February 1, said Pakistan is capable of 8220;thwarting all threats8221; to its nuclear capability, including possible attempts by foreign forces to secure its atomic weapons.

Kayani, who witnessed the launch of the Shaheen-I on January 25, too had dismissed the world community8217;s concerns 8220;as unrealistic and based on a lack of understanding of Pakistan8217;s command and control mechanisms8221;.