ISLAMABAD, 9 December 2004 — Pakistan yesterday test fired a medium-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but insisted it was not sending a signal to India.
The Hatf-IV (Shaheen-1) missile, which can hit targets up to 700 kilometers away, was launched from an undisclosed location.
This was the sixth missile test this year and the second in 10 days. Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said the test was not meant to send any message to India.
“It is not a signal to India. Maintaining our nuclear deterrence is a national priority,” Khan said. “Such tests are conducted periodically to validate technical parameters of our missile tests.” Pakistan had informed its neighbors before launching the indigenously developed missile, the military said, adding that the test was “successful”. Pakistan tested a Ghaznavi short-range nuclear-capable missile on Nov. 29. The military said the recent tests were “indicative of the government resolve to consolidate and strengthen Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence capability.”
