March 27, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 23, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 26: Pakistan on Wednesday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable short-range Abdali missile in an apparent tit-for-tat move after India tested its similar Prithvi missile.

The surface-to-surface Abdali missile, first test-fired last year, has a range of less than 200km and can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, military sources said.

The surface-to-surface Prithvi missile test-fired by India on Wednesday has a range of 150km.

Diplomatic sources said missile tests could fuel tensions between the two countries at a time when world attention was focussed on the US-led war against Iraq.

“Pakistan today successfully conducted test-firing of an indigenously manufactured Abdali surface-to-surface missile system,” a military statement said.

“The test validated all laid down technical parameters of the weapon system,” it said.

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali congratulated scientists and engineers associated with the project on their “outstanding success,” the statement said.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Indian test had come as a surprise to Pakistan as “we were not notified” about it in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries on Feb 21 in 1991.

But the spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, said Pakistan had given prior information to India about the Abdali test.

“Pakistan had given prior information to India about our test. However we were not informed about India’s test.”