Sunday, August 14 2005 09:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Indo-Pak peace process, the US-India defence and nuclear agreements were among issues discussed yesterday night (Aug 13, 2005) by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in a meeting with top army commanders, during which he said the recent test firing of a nuclear-capable missile was aimed at a balance of power in the region.

Musharraf told the day-long 92nd Corps Commanders Conference at Rawalpindi that 'Babur' missile manifests Pakistan's resolve to maintain balance of power, which he said is very essential towards stability and peace in the region.

The missile is a great boost to Pakistan's defence capability and a gift to the nation on the eve of Independence Day being celebrated today (Aug 14, 2005), an official statement quoted him as saying.

Describing the "successful" test as "a major milestone", he said the missile was part of Pakistan's "quest for strengthening and consolidating its minimum deterrence, which was a cornerstone of our national security strategy."

The conference "discussed at length the on-going peace process with India, different aspects of Indo-US defence pact, situation in Kashmir and other dimensions of Pakistan-India relations," the release said.

It also deliberated upon global, regional and domestic developments in the aftermath of July 7 terror attacks in London and the events thereafter, and examined their impact on the country, it added.