Date:29/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/29/stories/2006102903780800.htm

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North Korean Nodong has become Ghauri in Pakistan

Diplomatic Correspondent

Confirmation comes from President Musharraf himself

Deal entered into to buy ballistic missiles

Assertion at variance with Islamabad's claims

File picture of the Ghauri missile.

NEW DELHI: It is no longer in the realm of speculation. For years, it has been conjectured that a large chunk of the Pakistani ballistic missile programme is of North Korean lineage. Now, there is confirmation from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf himself.

In his memoir In The Line of Fire, the General reveals that Islamabad entered into a government-to-government contract with Pyongyang to purchase ballistic missiles.

"Pakistan had contracted a government-to-government deal with North Korea for the purchase of conventional ballistic missiles, including transfer of technology for hard cash," he says on Page 286.

For long, it has been known that the Ghauri missile, first tested by Pakistan in April 1998, was the North Korean Nodong. With Gen. Musharraf's revelation, it is obvious that Pakistan bought Nodong and named it Ghauri.

The General's assertion flies in the face of Islamabad's claims that the April 6, 1998 test represented a "step forward in Pakistan's indigenous missile and satellite launch programme."

Its Foreign Ministry said at that time: "Pakistan has achieved its indigenous missile capability through the dedication and commitment of our scientists and engineers."

Barter deal?

In his book, the General appears keen on covering up repeated assertions by non-proliferation analysts that there was a barter deal between cash-strapped Pakistan and North Korea — ballistic missiles in exchange for nuclear weapons technology.

According to an October 2006 U.S. Congressional Research Service report on the links between the two countries, in 1992, Pakistani officials visited North Korea to view a Nodong prototype and again in 1993 for a Nodong flight test.

"There are reports that then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited Pyongyang for one day in December 1993 and many analysts believe missile sales were on the agenda of her visit, despite her public denial," the report said.

"According to one report, North Korea sent five to 12 Nodong missile assembly sets to Pakistan between 1994 and 1997 ... Many observers believe Pakistan accepted between 12 and 25 complete Nodong missiles in the late 1990s," it said.