RAWALPINDI, Nov 29: As part of the ongoing exercises of the Pakistan Army’s Strategic Force Command (ASFC), the troops of a Strategic Missile Group (SMG) on Wednesday conducted a successful launch of the Medium Range Ballistic Missile Hatf 4 (Shaheen-I).

The event marked the culmination phase of the training exercise and validated the operational readiness of the Strategic Missile Group (SMG) equipped with Shaheen-I Missiles.

The Shaheen-I Ballistic Missile System was handed over to the Army Strategic Force Command a few years ago. The Shaheen-I Missile has a range of 700km. The ASFC had recently conducted a successful launch of the Ghauri Missile System.

Wednesday’s launch exercise was witnessed by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Ehsan Ul Haq and a large number of senior military officers, scientists and engineers of the strategic organisations.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the officers and other ranks of the ASFC on the high standards achieved during training which was reflected in the successful launch and the accuracy of the missile in reaching the target.

He said that Pakistan can be justifiably proud of its defence capability and the reliability of its nuclear deterrence.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee appreciated the efforts of all personnel, civilian and military, whose dedication and professionalism had made it possible for Pakistan to fully consolidate and operate its nuclear capability in the last seven years.

This capability, he said, formed the bedrock of Pakistan’s security policy and would be fully supported by the government.