Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the defence forces of Pakistan, confirmed the missile launch success on social media.
Pakistan successfully carried out night training launch of surface to surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi, capable of delivering multiple types of warheads upto 290 KMs. CJCSC & Services Chiefs congrat team. President & PM conveyed appreciation to team & congrats to the nation. pic.twitter.com/hmoUKRPWev
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 29, 2019
Major General Ghafoor said the missile "is capable of delivering multiple types of warheads up to 290 kilometres".
Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan have congratulated the nation and the team involved for the successful testing of the missile.
Thursday’s missile launch took place three months after Islamabad had conducted the successful training launch of another surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-II.
The Shaheen-II is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a range of 1,500 kilometres, the country's military said.
The May test launch was conducted after the Indian Air Force had test-fired an air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
The missile is capable of defeating "any currently available BMD [Ballistic Missile Defence] system in our neighbourhood or any other system under procurement [or] development", the military's media wing said.
Thursday’s missile test comes heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over New Delhi’s decision earlier this month to revoke the special status granted to the Indian side of the state of Jammu and Kashmir through Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution.
The decision to revoke the two articles was vehemently opposed by political parties in the region and several opposition parties.
Pakistan, which claims to be a stakeholder in Kashmir, also raised objections and mounted a diplomatic offensive against India’s decision.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since the countries gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both govern part of the region but claim it in full. They also have fought two wars over Kashmir.
