Pakistan test fires another missile
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-04 14:42

Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the second such test in less than a week, a military official said.

"We have conducted another test of Ghauri missile," a military official told Reuters. He gave no details.

On Saturday, Pakistan test fired a Ghauri missile capable of carrying all types of warheads and traveling up to 900 miles.

Pakistan says its weapons program is a response to that of India, with which it has fought three wars since both countries won independence from Britain in 1947.

Analysts say the tests were a signal to the new Indian government that Pakistan would not lower its guard despite tentative peace moves in recent months.

Both countries, which went to the brink of a fourth war in 2002, have vowed to carry forward their peace process launched last year despite a change of government in India.

The two sides agreed this week that their experts would meet on June 19 and 20 in New Delhi for talks on nuclear confidence-building measures, while foreign secretaries would meet there from June 27-28.

Pakistan test-fired the Shaheen II ballistic missile, with a range of 1,250 miles, in March. It said the missile was capable of carrying nuclear warheads to every corner of India.

Ghauri and Shaheen are different versions of a Pakistani missile series named Hatf, which is a reference to an ancient Islamic weapon.

India has its own ambitious missile program and plans to test this year the longest-range version yet of Agni, its nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

The Ghauri missile was developed by Khan Research Laboratories, Pakistan's main uranium-enrichment facility, which was named for Abdul Qadeer Khan, once revered as the father of the country's atom bomb.

Khan was sacked this year from his job as a special government adviser after he admitted to exporting nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea (news - web sites).

Some experts say the Ghauri missile was developed with North Korean help in return for nuclear know-how.