Oops.....
Lets HOPE these SOB's..remain..
Our..SOB's.
Pakistan Tests Longest-Range Nuke-Capable Missile
By Tahir Ikram
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan Tuesday successfully test-fired for the first time a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads to every corner of neighboring arch rival India.
"The two-stage Shaheen II Missile System, which has been developed indigenously by Pakistani scientists and engineers, can carry all types of warheads up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles)," the Pakistan military said. Nuclear scientist Samar Mubarak Mand -- a key architect of Pakistan's atomic bomb -- said the full range of the missile was around 1,500 miles.
"We have fired it to the end of our sea limits, which is about 2,000 km," Mand said on private Geo television.
Pakistan says its weapons program is a response to that of rival India, with which it has fought three wars since both countries won independence from Britain in 1947.
Japan expressed concern that Pakistan had conducted the test despite efforts by the international community to curb proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles.
"The Japanese government hopes that the test will not bring about a negative effect on positive developments between Pakistan and India toward improving their relations," said a statement from the Japanese embassy in Islamabad.
India, which has a vigorous missile development program of its own, offered no immediate response to the news.
The military said Pakistan had informed neighboring countries of the test as a "confidence-building" measure.
The test came after Israel last week concluded a deal to sell India a strategic airborne radar system, despite warming ties between Islamabad and New Delhi. Pakistan says the new weapons exceeds the 900-mile reach of the Ghauri, previously its longest-range missile, which some experts say was developed with North Korean help.
TEST AMID CLOSE SCRUTINY
The test of the Shaheen II comes amid intense scrutiny of Pakistan's nuclear program after revelations that its scientists sold nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea (news - web sites) and Libya.
Defense analyst Riffat Hussain said the test was significant because it laid to rest apprehensions in Pakistan that the scandal had compromised its nuclear and missile programs.
"This particular test defies that kind of criticism or at least takes the sting away from that, and just sends the message out that Pakistan's missile program is very much on course," said Hussain, head of the Department of Defense (news - web sites) and Strategic Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad. "This underscores the fact that Pakistan's nuclear and missile program is well, robust and on track," he said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said Monday the aim of the test would be to ensure the reach of the missile was sufficient to deter aggression and prevent military coercion.
India concluded a deal last week to buy an Israeli Phalcon airborne radar system that Pakistan has complained will threaten its security and require steps to keep a balance between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
The Phalcon system can detect aircraft hundreds of km (miles) away, can intercept radio transmissions and put large parts of Pakistan under Indian surveillance, including disputed Kashmir (news - web sites), which has been the trigger for two of the rivals' three wars.
There has been no pause in a thawing in relations that has led to a reopening of air, bus and rail links. The two countries are due to hold peace talks in May or June on all issues in their dispute, including Kashmir.
Tuesday, Pakistani and Indian officials held technical level talks in Islamabad on starting additional bus services linking people in their southern regions. |
