Pak to continue missile tests: Gen

Asserting that Pakistan accorded top priority to its security, President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that the country would conduct mo...

Asserting that Pakistan accorded top priority to its security, President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that the country would conduct more missile tests in the coming months.

Pakistan8217;s nuclear and missile power will be further refined and enhanced and no one will be allowed to weaken it, Musharraf said, addressing a public meeting at Kabal in the NWFP.

There would be more missile tests in the coming months as Pakistan has always accorded priority to its security above everything else, he said.

The announcement followed Musharraf8217;s recent remarks that India8217;s proposed acquisition of the Patriot Missile Defence System from the US was not a cause for concern for his country as, he said, the system had neither a high accuracy kill-ratio nor the capability to neutralise the effectiveness of Pakistan8217;s missile inventory.

Musharraf8217;s government has conducted missile tests in the past to refute criticism that its nuclear and missile programme was being toned down under US pressure.

Musharraf said that both India and Pakistan should take some 8216;8216;corrective action on rhetoric8217;8217;, pointing out that 8216;8216;there was some rhetoric in the United States by the Indian leadership and there is a counter rhetoric from this side8217;8217;. However, this has not affected the reality of the peace process. 8216;8216;If we control all that, I am sure the peace process will continue to go forward. Our desire is to move forward. We should learn lessons from all that has happened and not get involved in issues that create a gulf between ourselves and hurt the peace process.8217;8217;

Musharraf who met the foreign media to brief them on Pakistan8217;s efforts to contain extremism, asserted that the country8217;s nuclear weapons are safe.

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Apparently responding to fears expressed by PM Manmohan Singh of a likelihood of Pakistan8217;s extremist parties coming to power and seizing control of its nuclear weapons, Musharraf said, 8216;8216;All nuclear weapons in Pakistan are in safe hands,8221; adding Pakistan will 8220;never be ruled8221; by extremists. 8212;PTI