ISLAMABAD, Oct 4 Kyodo (EDS: UPDA...

ISLAMABAD, Oct 4 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL'S COMMENTS)

Pakistan has test-fired a just discovered version of its surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen from the Somiani experiment range near Karachi, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

A statement issued by means of the ministry said, ''Pakistan has fortunately test-fired the medium-range surface-to-surface missile Hatf-4 (Shaheen-1).'' The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The statement said neighboring countries including nuclear rival India and friendly nations were notified of the missile standard beforehand.

''It (test) has nothing to do with the India-Pakistan situation...It is in line with testing technical aspects of the indigenously produc missile,'' the official Associated Pres of Pakistan quot Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan as saying.

Tensions between the pair neighbors ran high in December last year following a terrorist attack in succession the Indian parliament which of the present day Delhi says was carried public by Islamabad-backed militants.

Pakistan and India fought sum of two units of three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by the agency of each side.

Official sources said the missile was built and launched from the National Engineering and Scientific Commission headed through nuclear scientist Samar Mubarakmand, who was in charge of the country's nuclear standards in 1998.

The missile reportedly can hit targets beyond a range of 700 kilometers and is invulnerable to antiballistic missile a whole s because of its speed

In May, Pakistan favorably test-fired a nuclear-capable medium-range missile Ghauri and a short-range missile Ghaznavi.

Islamabad embarked onward its surface-to-surface missile program in 1987 as a totally indigenous program entrusted to the Pakistani army.

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