Pakistan test-fires N-capable missile

Islamabad, April 29: The Pakistani military says it has successfully test-fired a short-range cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear and congenital warheads.

The army said in a statement that the air-launched missile — called Hatf VIII or Ra’ad– can also deliver the warheads with great pinpoint accuracy.

It added that the indigenously-developed missile has a range of 350 kilometers.

The army says Hatf cruise missile has been developed exclusively for launch from aerial platforms.

Over a week ago, the military launched short-range surface-to-surface Hatf IX or Nasr missile.

The military said the missile is also capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

Nuclear-capable India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars — two over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir — routinely carry out missile tests but normally notify each other in advance under an agreement.

Both neighbors have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other treaties that restrict developing or testing nuclear weapons.

Relations between the two countries have been rocky over the past decades.

—–Agencies