KARACHI, 15 October 2003— Pakistan yesterday test fired a mid-range nuclear capable missile which can hit many targets inside arch-rival India, its third and last in a series of tests in two weeks, the government and army said.
Longer-range missiles will be tested in the future, the army said in a statement.
The medium-range, surface-to-surface Hatf-4, also known as the Shaheen-1, was successfully test fired yesterday from an undisclosed location, the army said. The missile has a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles).
The Indian Defense Ministry had no immediate comment on the test. Pakistan has insisted the tests are not aimed at its rival despite simmering tensions.
Media have reported that a long-range Shaheen-2 missile would be tested in coming days. It has a range of about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) and has never been test fired. Pakistan began its latest test series on Oct. 3 by firing a short-range Hatf-3 Ghaznavi missile, which had a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles). It fired another Hatf-4 on Oct. 8.
Officials have said such tests aim to validate the designs of their missile systems.
“While the successful flight tests are a reflection of Pakistan’s technical prowess in the field of missile technology ... they also reflect Pakistan’s resolve and determination to continue to consolidate its minimum deterrence needs and national security,” the army statement said.
The latest series was the first since March. Islamabad has insisted the test launches have nothing to do with simmering tensions with India. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said on Monday that the tests were part of the regular schedule of its weapons program, and not in response to any moves by India.
“We fired two, we may fire some more as well,” said Kasuri, who was in Malaysia for a major meeting of Islamic countries. “But it is not tit-for-tat. We have our own timetable.”
In 1998, both nations shocked the world with dueling nuclear tests that earned years of sanctions. They nearly went to war in 2002 after an attack on India’s Parliament that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-backed militants. Pakistan denied the charge. The two countries had appeared headed for peace talks earlier this year, when they resumed diplomatic ties and restored some transportation links.
