Islamabad: Pakistan today test-fired the Shaheen-II long-range ballistic missile for the second time in three days, which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads and hit targets within India.

The Shaheen-II or Hatf-VI surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which has a range of 2,000 km, was launched for the first time during a field training exercise by the army's Strategic Forces Command, the military said in a statement.

All previous launches of the nuclear-capable missile had been conducted by defence scientists and engineers. Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir witnessed today's launch along with senior military officials. The statement did not say where the launch was conducted.

The Shaheen-II is Pakistan's longest range ballistic missile. It is a two-stage solid fuel missile that can carry nuclear and conventional warheads with high accuracy.

The last launch of the missile on Saturday was "part of the process of validation and technical improvements to consolidate and verify various land-based strategic missile systems".

The Shaheen-II was first tested in 2004. Pakistan conducted a series of missile tests between December last year and February in the run-up to the general election that was swept by President Pervez Musharraf's opponents in the Pakistan People's Party and PML-N.

Source : PTI