Pakistan test-fires Babur missile

Pakistan today successfully test-fired the terrain-hugging Babur cruise missile, which is capable of carrying warheads and hit targets within a range of 700 kms that includes many Indian cities.

The Babur or Hatf VII missile can carry conventional as well as non-conventional nuclear warheads. "The test will consolidate Pakistan's strategic capability and strengthen national security," a defence statement said.

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz congratulated scientists for the successful launch. Pakistan officials said the test-firing was a routine one.

The Babur missile, flaunted by Pakistan's military as rival to the Indo-Russia joint venture Brahmos cruise missile, was first tested in 2005 with a range of 500 km. (Reporting by K J M Varma from Islamabad)