Pakistan, India In Tit-For-Tat Missile Tests

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what's wrong with a little missile envy among friends AFP Photo

India not perturbed by Pakistan missile test
New Delhi (AFP) Oct 04, 2002 - India said Friday it was not perturbed by Pakistan's successful test firing of a medium range surface-to-surface Shaheen ballistic missile. "We are not unnecessarily perturbed by this kind of missile test," an Indian defence ministry spokesman told AFP.

Foreign affairs spokeswoman Nirupama Rao was equally dismissive.

"This particular test is clearly targeted at the forthcoming general election in Pakistan," she told reporters.

"As we have said before, we are not particulary impressed with these missile antics of Pakistan," Rao added.

"As is well known, Pakistan missiles are based on clandestinely imported materials, equipment and technology."

The missile test came amid renewed tension between Pakistan and India, which both have nuclear weapons, over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Pakistan said it had given prior notification of the test to neighbours as well as some friendly countries.

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been high since last December, when a deadly attack on India's parliament blamed on the Islamic militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad threatened to spark a new war.

Both groups were founded in Pakistan but were banned by President Pervez Musharraf in January.

Both countries have massed nearly a million troops on their common borders since the attack.

Islamabad (AFP) Oct 04, 2002
Nuclear neighbours Pakistan and India launched apparent tit-for-tat missile tests Friday, following a resurgence of high-stake tensions over Kashmir and less than a week before elections in Pakistan.

The Indian test of a medium-range surface-to-air missile came some nine hours after Pakistan tested its own nuclear-capable medium-range ballistic missile.

Islamabad then angrily accused India of fuelling an arms race, a charge New Delhi immediately called an "overreaction."

Pakistan first test fired its home-grown Hatf-IV or Shaheen missile, with a range of up to 800 kilometres (500 miles), at 8:30 am (0230 GMT) in the country's south.

India then tested its Akash missile, capable of travelling 25 kilometers (15 miles), off its east coast at 4:30 pm (1100 GMT), calling it a "routine" exercise.

"We believe that India has done this to initiate an arms race which Pakistan has not at all indulged in," Information Minister Nisar Memon told

"India appears to be accelerating the arms race, which is regrettable."

New Delhi strongly refuted Pakistan's allegation, saying the two tests were not comparable.

"This (the Akash missile) is only for air defence. How can it be compared to Shaheen?" India's defence ministry spokesman P.K. Bandopadhyay told AFP.

"We have an integrated missile programme in system and it is being tested according to plan. It has no relation to Shaheen. Pakistan's reaction is an overreaction. In no way is it an act of provocation or an arms race."

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