Pakistan today successfully test-fired an advanced Shaheen-type missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
A few days ago, India, Pakistan's regional rival, tested its longer-range missile.
As the Pakistani army announced today, the Hatf IV Sahin-1A missile was launched into the ocean. It has a medium range, longer than the previous model "SSahin-1", which is believed to be able to hit a target at a distance of up to 750 kilometers.
"The upgraded version of the Sahin 1-A will further strengthen Pakistan's deterrence capability," said General Khalid Ahmed Kidwaj, who attended the launch.
Kidwaj is in charge of Pakistan's nuclear program.
India announced last Thursday that it had successfully test-launched a new long-range missile of the Agni-V team, which can carry a nuclear warhead and can hit a target at a distance of 5.000 kilometers.
Since the Indian subcontinent gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have gone to war three times.
Relations between the two countries have improved somewhat in the past year, particularly in trade, but they still regard each other as enemies and regularly conduct weapons tests to demonstrate military might.
India's latest missile test, however, served more as a message to China than to its western neighbor.
The Agni-V missile enables India to reach Beijing and Shanghai for the first time, and the government in New Delhi hailed its launch as a step towards successfully countering China's dominance in the region.
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