THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
M A I N   N E W S

Pakistan test-fires Shaheen-II

Pakistan's medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile Shaheen-II
Pakistan's medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile Shaheen-II takes off from an undisclosed location on Tuesday. Pakistan test-fired on Tuesday an intermediate-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile, which could reach all the cities in India. State-owned Pakistani Television announced that the missile could travel 2,000 km and carry all kinds of warheads. — Reuters photo

Islamabad, March 9
Pakistan today test fired its first 2,000 km-range surface-to-surface Shaheen-II ballistic missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and hitting targets deep inside India, apparently to match the neighbour’s Agni-II missile.

“Pakistan today successfully carried out the maiden test-fire of Shaheen II surface-to-surface ballistic missile,” an official statement said.

The launching of Shaheen -II or Hataf VI missile reflected “Pakistan’s resolve to maintain minimum credible deterrence as the cornerstone of its security policy,” it said, adding “by the grace of Allah, all the planned technical parameters were successfully validated during the test-fire.”

The test-firing of the missile came in the midst of the Indo-Pak peace process and was apparently aimed at matching India’s Agni-II ballistic missile having a strike range of over 2,000 km. India is also developing Agni-III, which is expected to have a range of 3,000 km. — PTI

Back

HOME PAGE | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Opinions |
| Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital |
| Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail |