NEW DELHI: India wheeled out a new long-range nuclear missile that can hit anywhere in China as it celebrated its Republic Day with a big parade Saturday.
India successfully tested last April the Agni V missile, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres and can strike across the Chinese mainland and even hit targets as far away as Europe.
The first appearance in the annual parade of the Agni V - seen as marking a significant upgrade of India's nuclear deterrent - came along with the display of other military hardware acquired as part of a massive modernisation drive costing tens of billions of dollars.
The parade along New Delhi's ceremonial Rajpath, or King's Avenue, also included floats marking India's rich diversity and a tableau marking 100 years of Indian cinema wrapped in reels of film and embossed with movie names.
Large areas of the capital were sealed off for the celebrations - a traditional show of patriotic fervour - where Bhutan's king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was the chief guest.
India's shorter-range Agni I and II were developed with Pakistan in mind, while later versions reflect India's focus on China as well. India and China have prickly ties and a legacy of mistrust stemming from a brief border war in 1962.
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@Clear Black Bag: "@G. Din: I am sure you have forgotten or trying intentionally to forget 1965′s war in which you were defeated very very badly when Indian forces were trying to occupy Lahore ..." Indian forces chased Pakistani army right up to the eastern bank of Ichhogil Canal and camped there. Read your newspapers of the day. Pakistani army on the western bank hung their bedsheets to block the view of the Indians on the opposite bank. The only reason India did not cross the Ichhogil Canal to occupy Lahore was that India did not want to deal with a large civil population which would have required long-term infrastructural investment. Since India never planned to occupy Pakistan there was no benefit in occupying Lahore. Or so it was thought. In my opinion, it would have been psychologically devastating to Pakistanis if India had occupied Lahore for a short time. That alone would have been a good reason to do so.
When any news relating to Pakistan or india, straight away go to comments. that's more interesting.lol
:D funny and surprising to see that there are still people in Pakistan who think they won 1965 war...!!!! Their rulers have really succeeded in keeping them in a long sleep, till now.....
@Clear Black Bag: Man what the feed you seriously. Your whole reasoning is so laughable by every standards. You guys should not be even mentioning 1965 war cause that war clearly showed where the allegiance of Kashmiris lied. It were Kashmiri populace which tipped Indian army about 30000 Pakistani troop infiltrating the border under guise of Kashmirs. Just to cheer u up and undo your false knowledge, read this. And please read Neutral Assessment section. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-PakistaniWarof_1965 Also about Bangladesh India was not trying to occupy Bangladesh. It wanted to split Pakistan so that it does not have to keep worrying about war on true fronts. And Bangla people are for more trust worthy then the Pakistani Punjabis for India. I seriously pity you and your generation who are fed lies. Just FYI, wikipedia is not run by India, so it's not "Indian government fed" facts but facts gathered from third party observers whose references are in the bottom of that article.
in other news: 'India on Sunday successfully test-fired the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code-named B05), off the Visakhapatnam coast, marking en end to a series of developmental trials, the 10-metre tall Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile has a range of 700 KMs." India is only the fifth country to have such a missile -- the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China.
Both nations have people who are extremely POOR. To develope such destructive weapons at the cost of providing for the poor is plain stupidity. Vanity and Ego at play.
@G. Din: I am sure you have forgotten or trying intentionally to forget 1965's war in which you were defeated very very badly when Indian forces were trying to occupy Lahore and as far as 1971's war is concerned then Pakistan's internal elements rebelled and East Pakistan current Bangladesh separated not Indian forces interfered in Bangladesh's separation.Indians why are living in the dreams and considering Bangladesh's separation as India's biggest ever achievement/victory and Pakistan's defeat in 1971?And suppose I consider your stance regarding Bangladesh's separation true that you defeated Pakistan in 1971 then Bangladesh had to be the India's part not the independent and sovereign country and India had to occupy Bangladesh as India has occupied Kashmir and Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty prove that there was no any India's interference in the separation of Bangladesh....
@Nauman: Though we are living on les than $1/day we shall still not compromise our humanity with terrorism.....in other words illetracy is more harmful than hunger.....whole world but Pak has realized this point....
@Nauman: "400m Indians live on less then $1 a day"........since you want to compare that , read this http://dawn.com/2012/09/26/poverty-in-pakistan-2/ ......
@gautam You, and the rest of you on this paper (from India) are RAW drones.
To all the Indian Trolls: We didnt need these missiles when we sent you packing back devastated & defeated in 1965. We are a crazy bunch, we might not give you the time to launch such a weapon, capiche ?
@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: I've been in US for just 14 months and I've already seen an air show on labor day and spent a guided tour on USS Midway....
Anyway,could you tell me in which street and avenue of Manhattan have u put up your Halal Food Cart??
@stevenson: It was weapons that helped Britain to rule and build colonies.Now those days are gone and Britain has to look to countries like to keep itself in business.Mao said that Power grows out of the barrel of a gun and well people do listen when you have a gun in hand!
@Clear Black Bag: "Demonstration of the weapons is easier than to use them and usage of the weapons in the battle/war is based on strong,stable,brave and courageous belief and faith….." So, where were those qualities when you lost four wars with India and half-the-country to boot? We know you were never strong or stable or brave or courageous. It looks you lacked belief and faith, as well!
@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: You don't live in USA, because your fact are right. Don't you know it is always in Paper when any war ship dock so people can come and see it. Other they everyday demonstrate in field. Case in point is Drone.
@Nauman: Fear for ever over reared snakes. Absolute and valid reason am i right my friend?
@Ali: Grow up man, it is a real missile...Opps but how come you know?? Pak had only bought weapons from China and repainted as Pak's.. Of course you have developed pencils by your own that's why it looks like big pencil to you...:-))
@Clear Black Bag: What is the reason for this sudden wisdom friend? Really i wonder the transformaion a hawk in to dove.
Thanks again my friend.
It is comical.....Indians on a Pakistani paper telling Pakistanis "mine is bigger than yours." 400m Indians live on less then $1 a day......they don't give a hoot about these stupid missiles....they are worried about the next meal. Maybe, the Indians on this age should worry about that too.....but they can't because they are too obsessed with their fear of Pakistan....why?
"NEW DELHI: India wheeled out a new long-range nuclear missile that can hit anywhere in China as it celebrated its Republic Day with a big parade Saturday" In the light of this statement whose designs are against the peace and who is going to be dangerous and hazardous in the South East Asia region?Because when you will demonstrate your weapons in the exhibitions and also shall announce that we can hit far areas of our neighbor countries then how can you expect it that your neighbors shall cerebrate about in positive sense?Definitely your neighbors shall prepare themselves to answer you against your negative designs and India is adopting the same aggressive policies against its neighbors and then how foolishly,ridiculously,nonsensically and hypocritically thinks that India wants to live with its neighbor countries with peace and why India's Republic Day has celebrated as Black Day in Manipur and Kashmir whereas India says that Kashmir is the integral part of India and in the integral parts of any country Republic or Independence Day doesn't celebrate as the Black Day?
Demonstration of the weapons is easier than to use them and usage of the weapons in the battle/war is based on strong,stable,brave and courageous belief and faith.....
@stevenson: India too believed before 1962 that we don't need a big army and weapons. Pakistan could be tackled but China war changed our thinking. Today situation is different due to nuclear and conventional arms deterrent. India has a larger role and must look after its interest itself first and then depend on superpowers. Pakistan is unnecessarily trying to compete when no threat exists to it from the East. In this process, it is depriving it's people of basic needs.
Well China is richer then india....most of its people actually enjoy the basics of life which can't be said for India. They should focus more on the 500+ millions who are below the poverty line....same goes for Pakistan,
Indian cyber warriors out in full swing. Respond my pakistani brethren only by typing useless statements on the internet just to fulfill our elephant sized egos is the only way we will destroy our foes.
@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: The trucks on which the missiles are mounted are made in India. The diesel engines, turbocharges, pistons, crankshafts, tyres, chasis, are made in India right from the raw materials. This is 2013 not 1964. And this is Indian, not Pakistani. Also the missiles are real ones made in India. Not smuggled from N Korea and repainted. The Russians used to showcase their weapons every year in the Red square. The Chinese paraded their weapons on 1 Oct 2009.
Typo in earlier comment. Should be "cited" and not "sited".
@stevenson: You talk about lack of toilets in India but forget that polio has been wiped out from India. Pakistan is one of the three countries where polio is prevalent and still spreading. Pakistan stands along with two least developed nations in the world viz., Nigeria and Afghanistan where polio is still prevalent and spreading. To top it, Pakistan has the highest rate of polio infections every year, even among these three countries. Lack of toilets has been sited as a major reason for the spread of disease. Pakistan also the world's largest slum, viz., Orangi slum in Karachi. So, Pakistanis should think first before they bring in the subject of lack of toilets or slums in India, particularly where the topic is totally different.
@Stevenson: Britain gave freedom? you must be kidding. We struggled for it. You know very well the status of Britain after the second world war. I wonder how free Brain is today? Britain is nothing more than a stooge of USA. Does anyone bother what Britain says today? Is having toilet is the last yardstick of everything? looks like you have no idea what the India culture is. Majority of Indians living in villages could not grasp the concept of a toilet in the very home where they cook food, live and eat. It was not the issue of affordability but of acceptance. Indian cities had toilets thousand of years back. When do you think London got toilets and sewage system? Hardly 2-3 hundred years back. Next time you will say that Indians don't use tissue papers. Yes we don't.. Hope you know why.
It looks like a pencil, a big Pencil :D
@stevenson: Tell me who was chief guest in today's republic day parade?
@Paki: No... a separate homeland for muslim was demanded & British India got partitioned. Many died not for Pakistan, But because of Pakistan.
pakistanis should not feel threatened.. it is not for them.
@Dr Priyanka: And Britain gave freedom to the Indians without these weapons. What's sad is that millions of India - more than half of its population don't have access to toilets but they are wasting money on missiles. India is no match for the military of China. The US is competing with China in a new Cold War so why should India bother? They are too busy meddling in their neighbours from Bangladesh to Nepal and Pakistan.
The pomp and display and pride in republic day in India is something that PAK should learn. Even in a national holiday people gather early to hoist the flag in a dusty village square, which is unique in a republic of modern times.
I could never understand why these pip squeak countries of the world display their military hard ware, I have been living in the US since 1964 and yet to see any kind of military parades where they display their lethal hard ware, not that they don't have it but some time discretion and humility goes a long way.My advice to Indians and that goes for Pakistanis too that showing off is not going to scare anyone but they become laughing stock of the industrialized world. By the way are you guys going to show the world your nuclear weapons mounted on Russian and American made trucks, it would not surprise me.If display is meant to scare Pakistanis and Chines, well, they are not scared and they will double their efforts to retaliate, rest assure.
@ Paki - Thanks... Good riddance.
Ranges gone beyond Pak-China. India now eying Russia and EU.
@Paki: we are thankful and lucky that we arent living with u ppl today...thanx jinnah
Yet another sad day in the history of mankind.. "The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five." Carl Sagan
So what we have the UCBM, Ultimate continental Ballistic Missile. This is our Antarctica killer, when those penguins start attacking they know whats coming to them.
@Paki: @ Dr Priyanka: And we freed ourselves from India even without any army
Dear friend Pakistan was formed on 14th august 1947.
India was formed on 15th august 1947 * from BRITISH India* . before that Pakistan never existed it as it was An ideology of few Muslim leaders at that time and it was NOT SUPPORTED BY ALL MUSLIM LEADER EVEN AT THAT TIME which is why India has largest Muslim population till date over 180 million being secular country much to dismay of those who created Pakistan and believed Muslims cant live with non muslim people
@ Dr Priyanka: And we freed ourselves from india even without any army
@Sajid:
Then why waste precious resources on Ghauri and the Ghaznavi missiles?
Wars are not fought with the arms it fought with passion and a intelligent state of mind
@PB: without those we gave independence to Bangladesh.I don't have to say more! akalmand ko ishaara kaafi hai!
@Shaami:
awe come wake up Pakistani army is not that stupid to waste precious defence money on building a missile with a range of 5000 kms Taimur only exists in your dreams :d
BTW why would the Pakistani army build a missile even if they had the resources for that range :d ? which enemy country is it gonna attack TURKEY with Timur missile :P ?
the agni V , IV, III is known as " china killer " for a reason built specifically with India deterrent in mind where India does not have to match missile to missile or nuke to nuke but have enough punch if the need be to strike back.
also the cost to make a single nuclear weapon is about 200 million dollars with an ICBM it cost another 20 million each missile with another say 500 million for security, logistics , satellite and other things as part of systems and sub-sytems to operate them.
so wasting money making weapons is against India interest it would be a huge cost and overkill :d
and Indian are NOT That stupid building missile for missile and nuke to nuke it would bleed the economy dry and create a financial crisis in time of global recession and shaky markets
even though after china.. India is the fastest growing market :d
@Shaami In your dreams u dill weed
Dear India, it also takes some guts to fire up those things! :P
Now ET should also celebrate the displaying of Agni-V...
Well good news is that Pakistan have already developed their long range missile know as Taimur with a range equivalent to the above missile and will be used as a Space launched vehicle ( SLV ) as well and I am sure after the elections they will test it. So we dont have to worry about technological edge that Indians will get from this missile.