Pakistan carries out cruise missile test from submarine

Pakistan on Thursday test fired an “indigenously-developed” cruise missile from a submarine, according to Pakistani army.

Named after the founder of Mughal rulers of the sub-continent, the missile, Babur, having a range of 450 kilometers (280 miles) “successfully engaged its target with precise accuracy; meeting all the flight parameters,” the army’s media wing -- Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) -- said in a statement.

The missile is capable of delivering various types of payloads and incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, including underwater-controlled propulsion, advanced guidance and navigation features, it said.

“Babur provides Pakistan credible second strike capability, augmenting the existing deterrence regime. Development of this capability also reflects Pakistan’s response to provocative nuclear strategies and posture being pursued in the neighborhood through induction of nuclear submarines and ship-borne nuclear missiles; leading to nuclearization of Indian Ocean region,” the statement said in a reference to longtime regional rival India.

President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi congratulated the scientists, engineers and other personnel involved in the exercise, it added.

Pakistan and India have been locked in a series of missile tests in recent years amid escalating diplomatic and border tensions.

Both countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over disputed Kashmir region.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.