Pakistan on Friday said it was not 'duty-bound' to inform India about the test-firing of its cruise missile and alleged that New Delhi had declined to include this in the draft treaty on nuclear and conventional weapons and had only agreed on pre-notification of ballistic missiles.
The test was, therefore, carried out without pre-notification, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters in Rawalpindi when asked why New Delhi was not informed about Thursday's test-firing of the Hatf VII Babur missile.
India declined to accept Pakistan's proposal that cruise missiles too should be included in the draft treaty finalised at the weekend talks on nuclear and conventional Confidence Building Measures, where the two countries agreed on pre-notification of only ballistic missiles, he claimed.
"India thought that we will never acquire cruise missiles, that is the reason why they were not willing to accept Pakistan's proposal to include notification of cruise missiles in the treaty," he said.
Ahmed had on Thursday said that the test-firing of the cruise missile will not affect the peace process with India.
"The test-firing of cruise missiles by Pakistan should not be a concern for India as the peace process between the two countries will move ahead," he said.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri, told the British Broadcasting Corporation that India has test-fired cruise missiles in the past and never informed Pakistan about it.
"I don't think were required to give any notice," he said, adding Pakistan had suggested on many occasions that the two countries should include all forms of missiles, including cruise missiles, but India did not agree to the proposal.
Reports in Islamabad said Pakistan carried out the test in southwest Baluchistan province and its serial production could begin as early as next month.
Chairman of the National Engineering and Scientific Commission Samar Mubarakmand, who supervised the launch of the missile was quoted by The News in Islamabad as claiming that Babur is a superior missile to India's Brahmos cruise missile as it has a longer range of 500 km and could be launched from surface, air and sea platforms.
The one-time 'successful' cruise missile test surprised the defence analysts in Islamabad as it normally takes several tests to validate a complex technology.
Interestingly, the test followed reports in the latest Jane's Defence weekly that China recently test-fired a cruise missile YJ-62 which is part of the YJ series of long-range tactical missile systems.
President Pervez Musharraf himself claimed on Thursday that the missile was qualitatively better than Brahmos and would improve the military balance 'further' with India.
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