Pakistan yesterday conducted a test launch of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to 2,200km, the military said.
The missile, named Ababeel, was tested within days of Pakistan launching its first submarine-based nuclear-capable missile.
Having the sumbarime missile gives the South Asian nation more room to hit back in case of a nuclear strike, known as second-strike capability.
Pakistan’s military said the new missile was aimed at “validating various designs and technical parameters of the technical system.”
Pakistan and its rival, India, conducted nuclear tests days apart from each other in May 1998.
Both South Asian neighbours have since been developing the fastest-growing stockpiles of nuclear warheads in the world, as well as competing missile-based delivery system.
The latest launch comes amid tensions between the two countries after an attack in September last year by militants in the disputed valley of Kashmir, which left 19 Indian soldiers dead.