CRISISBOOM

Pakistan successfully test fires Hatf-VII missile

The missile can carry conventional and other warheads, the ISPR said. — Photo by AFP (File) 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military says it has successfully test-fired a cruise missile capable of carrying ”strategic and conventional” war heads.

An army statement says the Hatf-VII or Babur missile, which has a range of 360 miles (600 kilometers), was test-fired from an undisclosed location Thursday. The statement did not specifically say if the missile could carry nuclear warheads.

Senior army officials and scientists attended the testing.

Pakistan and its nuclear-armed rival neighboring India routinely test different versions of their missiles. The two countries have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain in 1947. – AP

APP adds:

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, officers and scientists witnessed the test.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani congratulated the scientists and engineers for successfully conducting the test.