Source: The Hindu
Nirupama Subramanian
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf reiterated on Friday that his country was capable of thwarting all threats to its sovereignty and nuclear capability, even as the Pakistan Army Strategic Force Command (ASFC) conducted a training launch of an intermediate ballistic missile.
The military said the launch of the nuclear-capable Ghauri, also known as Hatf 5, exactly a week after the test-launch of the medium-range Shaheen 1, was successful. The Ghauri has a range of 1,300 km.
General (Retd.) Musharraf, who witnessed the launch along with Army Chief General Parvez Kayani, said Pakistan had developed a strong deterrence capability.
“We have taken note of various imaginary scenarios being propounded by those who do not wish Pakistan well. Such elements have never reconciled to a nuclear Pakistan,” he said, a probable reference to reports about the possibility of Pakistan’s “loose nukes” falling into extremist hands and the rumoured U.S. plans to secure the country’s nuclear assets.
He said Pakistan was capable of thwarting all threats to its sovereignty and nuclear capability, and asked the officers and men entrusted with these weapons to continue training in order to maintain professional excellence.
The ASFC is a cutting edge unit of the National Command Authority that has overall control of Pakistan’s nuclear assets.
Along with a similar force in the Air Force and the Navy, it is trained to handle and operate nuclear weapons.
“Pleased” with ASFC
Gen. Musharraf said he was “pleased” that the ASFC had emerged as “a well-trained and cohesive” force in a short time. Pakistan’s command and control structure came up in 1999 and was formalised in 2000.
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1 response so far ↓
1 Sufi // Feb 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Look at the mentality of our rulers. Look what our generals are doing and naming the missile after the killers,assassins,Qatils,usurpers and religious fanatics. Our generals possess the same tendecy as their predecessors had. Our generals are following the foot step of the Qatils and usurpers who used the name of Islam-abused the name of Islam for their own vested interests. Ghoris,Ghaznavis and Abadils were imperialists and expentionists nor freedom fighters. They had the same agenda as Bush and Blair have today. Bush the buthcer of the day wants oil while Ghaznavids wanted the Gold of Somnath. They plundered Somnath-Bush plundered Baghdad.
Naming the missiles after the Qatils shows the sick mentality of our generals-off spring of YAZIDS. Today this country is running short of water,energy,atta and feul and the generals are testing missiles. Today this country has sunked in dept of quigmire of the foreign debt beyond 40 billion USD,our generals are testing missiles.
This hypocricy must come to halt never.
We need bread not missiles.
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