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`Islamabad not for creating tension in the region'
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, JAN. 27. Pakistan wants the international community to pull up India for the latest missile test in such a manner that it does not defy the world opinion in future. The Press Secretary to the Pakistan President, Rashid Quereshi, has said that Islamabad has conveyed to the United States that it is not involved in any arms race with India but at the same wants international community to condemn New Delhi strongly for the Agni-II test.
The comments of Maj. Gen. Quereshi came amid media reports that Pakistan is seriously considering the option of testing the Shaheen missile. The Pakistan Foreign Minister, Abdul Sattar, claimed on Saturday that Islamabad had postponed its missile test in view of the prevailing security scenario.
``As far as Pakistan is concerned it has told the U.S that neither it is involved in arms race with India nor wants to create tension in the region,'' Maj. Gen. Quereshi said. He told the Radio Tehran that the Agni test had shown that India did not care for the concern of the international community over its missile tests.
``India is also trying to show its strength as it deployed troops along the Pakistan borders. But I want to make clear to India that its coercive attempts would have no effects on Pakistan,'' he said.
He said it was the right of Pakistan to consider its defence and do whatever was necessary for the purpose. ``Pakistan does not want to attack any one but wants only its own defence.''
In a separate interview to the BBC, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, said Pakistan favoured a sustained and serious dialogue with India. He said all the issues between Pakistan and India including the issue of Kashmir could be resolved through a serious and sustained dialogue.
He said Pakistan wished peace and held the stance that every issue should be resolved through talks. ``But at the same time, the Armed Forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to defend their country and people and are fully capable of protecting their homeland and may fully match each and every technological achievement of India.''
A report in the Jang quoting reliable sources states that if the international community did not take strong notice of Indian tensing to Agni-II missile, Pakistan might follow the suit and test Shaheen-II missile. It said that soon after report of testing of Agni-II was received, Gen. Musharraf called an emergency meeting of his military and civilian colleagues and discussed the matter.
The paper said Pakistan was capable of testing Shaheen-II having a range of 2500 km. Shaheen-II was also capable of targeting every Indian city within 15 minutes with nuclear or other warheads. It also had an accuracy of 100 m.
According to a report in the Nawai Waqt, the Indian test of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Agni, has paved the way for Pakistan to conduct more missile tests. The paper said Pakistan was ready to conduct test of its ballistic missiles, which had been pending for a long time.
According to the report, under the Hataf series, Pakistan has produced Ghauri, Shaheen and Hataf-I but because of the immense foreign pressure, it has to confine itself only to conducting two tests each of Ghauri and Shaheen and one of Hataf-I.
Following the Indian missile test, Pakistan had indicated that it might resume testing of various versions of its missile system. Pakistan had tested affective reach of short-range Hyder-I missile but its first test flight was to be conducted, the report added. Pakistan institutions working on missiles had also been insisting that the Government allow the conduct of more missile tests.
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