Friday, Feb. 01, 2008
Pakistan Tests Medium-Range Missile
By AP
(ISLAMABAD) — Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired an upgraded version of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the military said.
The army's Strategic Missile Group launched the Ghauri missile, which has a range of 810 miles, from an undisclosed location, it said. The military has been working on modifying the missile to allow launches from mobile platforms.
President Pervez Musharraf, the army chief, other officials and scientists witnessed the test, the military said in a statement.
Pakistan became a declared nuclear power in 1998 when it conducted underground nuclear tests in response to those carried out by neighboring India. It also tested its first missile the same year.
The two South Asian rivals routinely test their various missiles.
On Friday, Musharraf told troops in the undisclosed exercise area that Pakistan had "developed a strong nuclear deterrence capability," the military statement said.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. The two neighbors have fought three wars after gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
But relations between them have improved markedly since 2004, when they began a peace process aimed at resolving outstanding disputes, including competing claims to the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.
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