Pakistan on Wednesday test-fired the short-range, nuclear-capable “Ghaznavi” ballistic missile which can target northern and western Indian cities as the government vowed to “retain a strong conventional and unconventional deterrence”.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 Army’s Strategic Force Command (ASFC). Wednesday’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, “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.”Soomro said Pakistan stood for peace in the region. “Peace comes from strength whereas weakness invites aggression.”
