WASHINGTON, May 31: Pakistan will soon carry out a second launch of its new medium-range Ghauri missile, a leading newspaper here quoting United States intelligence agencies has said. The Washington Times quoting an intelligence official said yesterday ``US is expecting a second test of the 925-mile Ghauri within the next week.''Pakistan has 12 Ghauri missiles and 30 M-11's ready for launch on short notice, it said referring to US intelligence.The US government until recently has denied that Pakistan had any Chinese-made short-range M-11's in its arsenal because the presence of the systems would trigger US economic sanctions against both Pakistan and China, the daily said.But, Washington Times report has made members of the House of Representatives and Senate take the matter seriously, it said.
Asked by the paper to clarify the intelligence official's remark about the M-11, a Pentagon spokesman told the paper ``the fact is they do have M-11's.''
Intelligence officials said that Pakistan appears to havehad no outside help from China in carrying out its nuclear tests but Islamabad has received general assistance for its nuclear programme from Beijing, the paper added.
The officials dismissed as inaccurate a Pakistani press report on Friday that Islamabad has launched two new medium range missiles ``Abdali'' and ``Ghaznavi''. But they did not explain.
On India, the officials said a second flight test of Agni missile is likely later this year. New Delhi, they added, could conduct a test firing of the Prithvi missile in the near future.
``The missiles of India and Pakistan are inaccurate,'' said US intelligence officials, leading them to conclude that they were designed for nuclear warheads, for which pinpoint accuracy is not required.
An official said India will soon have a nuclear warhead for its Agni intermediate range missile, which has a range of about 1,250 miles. ``That means,'' he said, ``You are going to have a nuclear-tipped Agni or a nuclear-tipped Ghauri in the inventory in the next coupleof years.''
Pak recalls missiles
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recalled missiles it had deployed in forward positions on Wednesday, the country's top nuclear scientist said on Sunday. ``We have called them back,'' Abdul Qadeer Khan said. He said the missiles were deployed after reports of a possible attack by India on Pak's nuclear enrichment plant at Kahuta, near Islamabad. He did not say which missiles had been involved in the alert, but they were suspected to be Ghauri medium-range missiles.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
