Pakistan has conducted a test of the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen III, that can carry nuclear and conventional warheads up to a distance of 2,750 km.
The test was conducted successfully on Friday with the impact point of Shaheen-III in the Arabian Sea, said Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The nuclear weapon test comes days after Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan this week in a signal of thawing relations between the otherwise hostile neighbours.
Nuclear experts have warned that even small anti-terrorist strikes by India on Pakistani terror camps could lead to nuclear war between the two countries.
The Shaheen-III missile can carry nuclear warheads to almost any place in India and even up to nations in the Middle East.
"Pakistan desires peaceful co-existence in the region, for which nuclear deterrence would further strengthen strategic stability in South Asia," a Pakistani official was quoted saying in the the ISPR statement.
"The test flight was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system," the Pakistan army's public relations wing said.
The Shaheen-I missile has a range of range of 900 km, while Shaheen-II can cover a maximum distance of 1,500 km.
A study had revealed that Pakistan's nuclear stockpile had increased from 90-110 warheads in 2011 to 110-130 at present, and the country could become the fifth-largest nuclear power in the next decade.
