NEW DELHI, 4 October 2003 — Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said Pakistan’s testing yesterday of a short range ballistic missile was “nothing special”.
Fernandes told reporters the main issue was whether the missile really was indigenous or clandestinely procured.
“It has to be seen whether the missile is their own or provided by North Korea or China,” he said.
India has in the past accused China of secretly transferring missile and nuclear technology to Pakistan.
With its range and capability, the missile can hit important targets in India. Tested for the second time in recent months, it can carry nuclear or conventional warheads up to around 290 km in 60 to 70 seconds.
Pakistan’s decision to conduct the tests just when Prime Minster Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali is in United States has raised speculations in Indian circles about what the timing indicates.
Irrespective of whether the missile tested yesterday is indigenously developed by Pakistan or not, Indian officials have given emphasis to Pakistan having an arsenal of ready-to-use missiles obtained from China and North Korea. They regard the latest test as a part of Islamabad’s strategy to show South Asian region as a “nuclear flashpoint.”
Officially, however, Indian Foreign Ministry declined to make any comments on the missile test till yesterday evening.
In an exclusive interview to Arab News, Maj. Gen. Afsir Karim (Retd) said: “These are normal tests. We should not get apprehensive about them. Besides this is not the first time that Pakistan has conducted such tests. Any country has the right to conduct such tests but in the case of Pakistan, we need to keep a constant watch on what it does.”
Dismissing the prospects of the test gearing toward a “nuclear flashpoint,” Karim said: “A nuclear war should be ruled out. If Pakistan fires a missile at India, the latter is going to respond similarly leading to a nuclear war.”
There is also a view that the timing of Pakistan’s test can be linked to India turning to Israel for missile aid.
Eleven Die in Violence, Border Exchanges in Kashmir
Ten people were killed in separatist violence while a civilian died in an exchange of artillery between Indian and Pakistani troops along their de facto border in restive Kashmir, officials said yesterday, AFP adds.
An army spokesman said Indian troops shot dead three rebels during a 10-hour gunbattle, which started late Thursday in the Natnusa area of northwestern Kupwara district.
“The fighting erupted when Indian troops ringed the area on a tip-off,” spokesman Col. Mukhtiar Singh told AFP. He said the rebels opened fire in a vain attempt to break the cordon. “All three militants holed up in the area were killed,” he said.
