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Pakistanâs missile test called `nothing specialâ
EFL. registration required for link. Pakistan denied Friday that its firing of a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile had anything to do with stalled peace talks with India, which characterized the test as "nothing special." "Oh, that missile! The Pakistani army announced the early-morning launch of the short-range Hatf-3 Ghaznavi missile and promised "a series" of tests in coming days. The missile can carry conventional and non-conventional weapons as far as 180 miles--within reach of several important targets in India. "We have successfully test-fired the Hatf-3 Excuse me In New Delhi, Defense Ministry spokesman Amitabh Chakravorty confirmed that his government had been notified. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes later said the test was "nothing special." He told the Press Trust of India, "It has to be seen whether the missile is their own or provided by North Korea or China." The comments are an allusion to charges that Pakistan has exchanged nuclear and other weapons technology with North Korea, which Pakistan denies. Yasss, the vaunted Pak high-technology program. China is Pakistanâs main supplier of military hardware, but the Hatf-3 is said to be an indigenous Pakistani missile. You can tell because it lands within a hundred miles of the intended target. The test was the first by Pakistan since March 26, when it fired a short-range missile soon after India announced a similar launch. On Friday, Khan denied any link between the most recent test and failing peace efforts. An army statement added: "The timings of the tests reflect Pakistanâs determination not to engage in a tit-for-tat syndrome to other tests in the region. ... Pakistan will maintain the pace of its own missile development program and conduct tests as per its Just leave the peacekeeping thing alone. Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-05 |
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