Ballistic missile: Pakistan successfully test-fires Hatf III

Hatf III (Ghaznavi) is capable of delivering nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range of 290 kilometres.

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Thursday conducted a successful training launch of short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III (Ghaznavi), capable of delivering nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range of 290 kilometres. The successful launch was the culminating point of the field training exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command which was aimed at testing the operational readiness of the Strategic Missile Group besides upgrading of various capabilities of weapon systems. The launch was witnessed by the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, DG Strategic Plans Division Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Commander 5 Corps, Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command Lt Gen Obaidullah Khan, Nescom chairman Muhammad Irfan Burney and other senior military officials and scientists. Addressing the participating troops in the exercise area, Gen Raheel reiterated that Pakistan has configured one of the best command and control systems.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2014.