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Pakistan tests missiles, torpedoes in Arabian Sea

Arab World Materials 12 March 2010 16:35 (UTC +04:00)
Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired new missiles and torpedoes in the Arabian Sea, the country's navy said.

Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired new missiles and torpedoes in the Arabian Sea, the country's navy said, DPA reported.

A statement from the Pakistan Navy said it tested its firepower "to assess the lethality, precision and efficacy of its weapon systems."

The weapons tested included missiles fired from an F-22P frigate, air-to-surface missiles from P-3C aircraft, and subsurface-to-surface missiles from French-built Agosta 90B submarines.

"While reassuring Pakistan Navy's commitment of defending the motherland, this strike capability would also send a message of deterrence to anyone harbouring nefarious designs against Pakistan," said the navy statement, in an apparent reference to neighbouring India, with whom Pakistan has tense relations.

Pakistan's tests came around a month after India successfully fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III missile, which has a range of over 3,000 kilometres.

The two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

In January 2004, they launched a peace process to resolve the issues of conflict, including Kashmir. But the dialogue has been halted since terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that India claims were carried out by Pakistan-based militants.

In February, India and Pakistan held their first official talks but failed to agree to resume the peace dialogue.

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