Pakistan test fires missile capable of nuclear attack

Published on Saturday 31 March 2007 12:10

PAKISTAN successfully test-fired an indigenous short-range nuclear-capable missile today, the military said.

The surface-to-surface Abdali ballistic missile - which has a range of 125 miles and was launched from an undisclosed location inside Pakistan - "can carry all types of warheads," the military said in a statement issued from Rawalpindi.

The military did not provide any further details, but Pakistan and its nuclear-armed rival, neighbouring India, routinely test missiles.

Pakistan's test comes about a week after India tested its indigenously developed air-to-air Astra missile, with a range of up to 50 miles.

Pakistan and India have fought two of three wars over the mountainous Kashmir region, which is divided between the two countries, but claimed in entirety by both, after gaining independence from Britain 1947.

The leaders from Pakistan and India will meet next week on the sidelines of a regional summit in New Delhi. The two countries are main members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, which will hold its annual summit in New Delhi on April 3-4.