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Pakistan: Three Days, Three Missile Tests Amid continuing tensions in South Asia, Pakistan conducted a short-range missile test today, concluding a series of three tests begun Saturday (see GSN, May 23). Officials today successfully fired a Hatf-2 missile, also known as an Abdali missile, which has a range of 180 kilometers, according to a Pakistani press release (see GSN, May 21). On Saturday and Sunday, they successfully tested a medium-range Hatf-5, or Ghauri, missile and a 290-kilometer range Hatf-3, or Ghaznavi, missile. The Hatf-2 and Hatf-3 tests were the first tests of those missiles, according to the press release. The Saturday test was the third of the Ghauri missile system (Pakistani release, May 28). The missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Reuters reported (Denyer/MacDonald, Reuters, May 28). Pakistan notified India before conducting the tests, Pakistani and Indian officials said Friday. The tests were routine and unrelated to current tensions in the region, Pakistani officials said. “It has nothing to do with the current situation. We have not undertaken tests, while India has been taking such tests,” a Pakistani spokesman said (see GSN, Feb. 11). Reaction An Indian external affairs ministry statement also said, “This is routine and not central to the current situation” (Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times, May 24). An Indian Defense Ministry spokesman, however, said Pakistan’s decision to test missiles was “highly irresponsible.” “We know that it is for domestic consumption,” he added. U.S. officials also criticized the tests. “Stopping terrorism is more important than testing missiles,” President George W. Bush said. “I’m more concerned about making sure … that [Pakistani] President (Pervez) Musharraf shows results in terms of stopping people from crossing the line of control,” in Kashmir he said (Shahid Iqbal, United Press International, May 28). “I don’t think it was a terribly useful thing to do right now,” said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. “We were disappointed that the Pakistanis took this time to perform routine tests which, if they were routine, could have been performed at some other time.” “We continue to urge both sides to take steps to restrain their missile programs and their nuclear weapon programs, including that there be no operational deployment of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles,” said State Department spokesman Philip Reeker (French/Bonner, New York Times, May 25).
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