Pakistan on Thursday successfully test-fired its "nuclear capable" Hatf-VII cruise missile with an enhanced range of 700km.
"The Hatf-VII missile, which is also called the Babur, has a range of 700 km and the flight data collected validated the design parameters set for the flight test," a military statement in Islamabad said.
Flaunted by Pakistan's military as the answer to the Indo-Russian joint venture Brahmos, the Babur was first tested in 2005 with a range of 500km.
The test at that time took the world by surprise and analysts later said that the prototype of Pakistan's terrain hugging radar avoiding cruise missile closely resembled the Chinese version of the same.
The military statement said the missile was indigenously developed and its range has been enhanced to 700km.
Pakistan military officials claim that the Babur missile named after the Mughal emperor of the same name has a longer range and nuclear capability compared to Brahmos, but at the same time it was not supersonic like the Indo-Russian missile, which has range of 300km.
Babur is a highly manoeuvrable with pinpoint accuracy. "It is capable of carrying a variety of warheads including nuclear," the statement claimed.
Indian officials said New Delhi was not informed about Thursday's test firing as the Indo-Pak agreement to inform each of the missile tests was confined only to ballistic missiles and Pakistan said it has already proposed to India that it should cover cruise missiles too.
The two countries are yet to include cruise missile tests to serve advance notices to each others missile tests.
Today's test was the third of different sets of missiles Pakistan has test fired since February 23. The test is part of Pakistan's ongoing efforts at consolidating its strategic capability and strengthening national security, the statement said.
The test was carried out in the midst of a deepening political crisis for President Pervez Musharraf over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Supreme Court Iftikar Muhammed Chaudhry.
The test also came a day ahead of the Pakistan Day to be observed on Friday with a military parade in the capital in which Musharraf was expected to take part. The country's
military has mobilised its missile and military might to take part in the march past tomorrow which has been shifted to sports stadium due to security concerns.
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