Pakistan on Wednesday tested its nuclear capable medium-range ballistic missile Hatf-4, close on the heels of India's successful coordinated launch of two surface-to-surface Prithvi-2 missiles.
In the second missile test by Pakistan this month, Hatf-4 or Shaheen-I was test-fired as part of the culmination of military exercises being conducted by the country's Army Strategic Force Command.
'As part of the ongoing exercises of Pakistan ASFC, the troops of a Strategic Missile Group conducted a successful launch of the medium-range ballistic missile Hatf 4 (Shaheen-I),' a defence statement said.
'The event marked the culmination phase of the training exercise and validated the operational readiness of the Strategic Missile Group equipped with Shaheen-I Missiles,' it said.
The missile that has a range of 700km was handed over to the Army Strategic Force Command a few years ago.
This was the second missile test carried out by AFSC this month. On November 16, it test-fired 1300km intermediate range nuclear capable Ballistic Missile Hatf-5 named Ghauri.
Both Shaheen and Ghauri are designed to hit a number of cities in India in the event of any war.
The test comes two days after India's defence scientists successfully experimented with the coordinated launch of two surface-to-surface Prithvi-2 missiles from two different test ranges on the Orissa coast.