Doom and Fear - Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable Hatf VI missile

Pakistan test fires a nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Hatf VI missile

A statement from Pakistan's armed forces said the test-firing proved the weapon had met its design parameters.

The Hatf-II Abdali surface-to-surface ballistic missile is said to have a range of 200km (125 miles).

Last week Pakistan test fired a nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Hatf VI missile, which has a much longer potential range of 2,000 km.

"The test was aimed at validation of the desired technical parameters which has been successfully achieved," the military said in a statement.

The statement did not say where the test took place.

The short-range Hatf-II was last reported to have been tested in February 2006.

Pakistan and its neighbour India - both nuclear powers - routinely carry out missile tests.

Pakistan's foreign minister recently met his Indian counterpart in Delhi and signed an agreement aimed at reducing the risk of accidental nuclear war in the region.

Tension between Pakistan and India has decreased in recent months amid a series of bilateral overtures.

The two powers stepped back from the brink of war after India blamed Pakistan for involvement in an armed attack on the federal parliament in Delhi in 2001.

[link to news.bbc.co.uk]