nuclear-news

Nuclear missile envy played out between India and Pakistan

Anything you can do... Pakistan follows India with its own missile test Launch is latest proof of escalation of arms in Asia as new report stresses the threat to rest of the world ANDREW BUNCOMBE    The Independent,  26 APRIL 2012  A week after India successfully tested a long-range missile, Pakistan yesterday said it had also fired an upgraded nuclear-capable device in a reminder of the ongoing arms race that has gripped Asia. Officials in Pakistan said they had completed a positive trial of the Shaheen-1A, an intermediate range missile that is capable of reaching targets across India.
Officials said the missile came down in the Indian Ocean.

The test came a week after India trialled the so-called
“game-changing” Agni-V, which, for the first time, would allow it to
target many of China’s major cities. While officials said the weapon
was not “target-specific”, analysts said it had been designed to
counter a perceived threat from Beijing.

Talat Masood, a former army general based in Islamabad, said: “As you
are aware, [India and Pakistan] have both been pursuing these nuclear
and missile programmes for some time and will do so for some time to
come. India has reached the point where it can target most of China.
Pakistan also wants to develop its longer range weapons and increase
its inventory.”……  The launch came as campaigners in the US warned
in a study that a billion people around the world could starve to
death if India and Pakistan were involved in a nuclear exchange,
saying that even a “limited” war would cause deadly major climate
disruptions….
Asia has steadily become the focus of a multi-billion dollar arms
race. Last month, the International Institute for Strategic Studies in
London said arms spending by Asian nations will this year for the
first time overtake that of European countries, where economic woes
have forced a slowdown. It added that beyond India, China and
Pakistan, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Korea, Thailand and Vietnam were also spending heavily.

The trial of Pakistan’s missile came a day before the country is to
face another test. Today, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, pictured
left, is due to appear before the supreme court to hear its decision
on whether he is guilty of contempt for failing to request the
reopening of a corruption probe into the nation’s president, Asif Ali
Zardari, by the authorities in Switzerland.

Many observers believe Mr Gilani, who has pleaded not guilty and
insists Mr Zardari enjoyed immunity, will be found guilty. Although he
will almost certainly appeal against the court’s decision, he could be
forced to stand down.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/anything-you-can-do-pakistan-follows-india-with-its-own-missile-test-7679184.html

April 28, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, Pakistan, weapons and war