Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable Ghauri missile with a range of 1,300 km, capable of striking major Indian cities, as President Pervez Musharraf declared the country was capable of "thwarting all threats" to its nuclear capability.
The successful training launch of the Ghauri or Hatf-V intermediate range ballistic missile was witnessed by Musharraf and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani at an undisclosed location.
The launch was conducted at the conclusion of an annual field training exercise of a Strategic Missile Group of the Army Strategic Force Command, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said.
The ASFC is currently engaged in its winter collective training wherein every operationalised strategic missile is tested in "tactical and live firing exercises".
The test of the Ghauri came a week after a similar training launch of the Shaheen-I ballistic missile, which has a range of 700 km.
The political turmoil in Pakistan and an upsurge in terrorist attacks have sparked reports in the western media about the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal and the effectiveness of its command and control system.
Media reports have also suggested that the US is considering contingency plans to secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in the event of any extremist takeover.
Musharraf said, "We have taken note of various imaginary scenarios being propounded by those who do not wish Pakistan well. Such elements have never reconciled to a nuclear Pakistan."
"Pakistan is capable of thwarting all threats to its sovereignty and to the nuclear capability," Musharraf said, advising "caution to such elements."
The armed forces are a "highly professional, motivated and well trained force and are capable of safeguarding Pakistan's security against all types of threat," he said.
During a recent visit to Europe, Musharraf said militants could gain access to Pakistan's atomic weapons only if Al Qaeda or the Taliban "defeated the Pakistani army" or if radical groups won the upcoming general election.
"There is a zero per cent chance of either one of them," he said.
Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, the head of the Strategic Plans Division that controls Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, dismissed such fears during a recent briefing for the foreign media.
Kiyani, who witnessed the launch of the Shaheen-I on January 25, too dismissed such concerns "as unrealistic and based on a lack of understanding of Pakistan's command and control mechanisms."
Musharraf lauded the troops for "achieving high standards of training and excellent results". Pakistan, he said, has developed a "strong nuclear deterrence capability and expects that officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to train hard and maintain professional excellence."
He said he was pleased to see the ASFC "emerge as a well trained and cohesive force in a very short span of time."
All needs for strategic capabilities according to Pakistan's minimum deterrence requirements will be met by the nation.
Besides the unrest witnessed in the wake of the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto last month, Pakistan has been rocked by a series of suicide attacks on the armed forces and increased militant activities in its lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
