ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday expressed “deep concern” over the reported missile test by North Korea, saying it would undermine peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

“Pakistan expresses deep concern over the reported launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Nov 29, 2017,” the FO said in a statement while noting that the test violated the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

North Korea has claimed to have tested a new Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Hwasong-15 which, it says, can strike anywhere in the US.

Pyongyang said that with the test, which was overseen by the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un, the DPRK had achieved the goal of the state’s nuclear force completion.

The latest test was North Korea’s 20th ballistic missile test and third ICBM this year.

The FO said Pakistan continued to call upon the DPRK to comply with its obligations under the UNSC resolutions and to refrain from actions that could lead to escalation of tensions.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2017