Pakistan Views

President Pervez Musharraf accused Pakistan’s enemies on Friday of spreading fears about the country’s atomic weapons, as Pakistan army test-fired a nuclear-capable missile, the army said.

“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,” an ISPR statement quoted President Musharraf as saying.

President Musharraf said Pakistan was capable of thwarting all threats to its sovereignty and nuclear capability, and urged “such elements” to be cautious, according to the statement.

He made the comments after witnessing the launch of the intermediate-range Ghauri (Hatf V) missile.

The missile, which has a range of 1,300 kilometers (807 miles), was launched at the end of annual field training exercises.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kiyani, senior military officers and scientists also witnessed the test, the statement said.

General Kiyani made similar comments at the launch of another missile a week ago when he dismissed “unrealistic” fears that Pakistan’s nuclear warheads could fall into the wrong hands.

President Musharraf congratulated the team behind the latest launch on “achieving high standards of training and excellent results.”

“The nation has developed a strong nuclear deterrence capability and expects that officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to train hard and maintain professional excellence,” he said.