Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile

ISLAMABAD, March 31 (AFP) Mar 31, 2007
Pakistan on Saturday successfully test-fired its short-range nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the military announced.

The Hatf II Abdali missile has a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and "can carry all types of warheads," the military said in a statement.

The test, aimed at "validation of the desired technical parameters," was a success, it added.

Last week, Pakistan tested a longer range version of its nuclear-capable, radar-dodging cruise missile, the Hatf VII Babur. It has a range of 700 kilometres.

Pakistan and India have routinely conducted missile tests since the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals carried out tit-for-tat nuclear detonations in May 1998.

However in 2004 they launched a slow-moving peace process aimed at ending six decades of hostility and resolving their dispute over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars.

In February, Pakistan signed a historic deal with India to cut the risk of atomic weapons accidents.

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