Don’t Bomb Iran

summary: Pakistan tests nuke capable cruise missile 500km range,
saying it has submarine, air and land launch capabilities.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/pakistan.nuclear.ap/in
dex.html?section=cnn_latest

Pakistan test-fires cruise missile

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan on Tuesday successfully test-
fired a cruise missile that can carry a nuclear warhead and hit targets
within a 310-mile range (500 kilometers), the army said.

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf witnessed the firing,
which took place at an undisclosed location inside Pakistan and was
the second test of the Hatf VII cruise missile, also known as the Babur,
an army statement said.

The initial test was conducted last August on Musharraf’s 62nd
birthday.

“All phases of the planned trajectory were extremely successful and
the missile impacted with pinpoint accuracy,” the statement said.

Pakistan’s nuclear-armed neighbor India was not given prior notice of
the test as it did not fall under an accord that covers notification of
ballistic missile tests, a senior security official said.

The Babur cruise missile can be fired from various platforms, including
ground positions, surface ships and submarines, the army said.

The statement described it as a “low-flying, terrain-hugging missile with
high maneuverability, pinpoint accuracy and radar avoidance features.”

Musharraf was quoted as saying the firing demonstrated Pakistani
proficiency in weapons production and that his government will
“continue to provide all support to their endeavors in fortifying national
defense.”

Pakistan also possesses nuclear weapons and has fought three wars
against India since the 1947 partition that led to this Islamic state’s
creation. But both countries have been holding peace overtures since
2004.