Pakistan on Monday test-fired its first submarine-launched cruise missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and giving the country a credible second strike capability, the military said. The missile was fired from an underwater mobile platform and hit its target with precise accuracy, it said in a statement. A military spokesman confirmed to AFP the missile, with a range of 450 km (280 miles), could carry a nuclear warhead.

"Babur-3 is a sea-based variant of Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) Babur-2, which was successfully tested earlier in December, last year," the statement said. "Pakistan eyes this hallmark development as a step toward reinforcing the policy of credible minimum deterrence."

Pakistan and neighbouring India have routinely carried out missile tests since both demonstrated a nuclear weapons capability in 1998. Both countries can already launch surface-to-surface ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. The military said the Babur-3 SLCM, in a land-attack mode, was capable of delivering various types of payloads. It would "provide Pakistan with a Credible Second Strike Capability, augmenting deterrence".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has congratulated the nation and Military Forces of Pakistan on first successful test fire of Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) Babur-3 having a range of 450 kilo metres. PM in a statement said that the successful test of Babur-3 is a manifestation of Pakistan's technological progress and self-reliance. The Prime Minister further said that Pakistan always maintains policy of peaceful co-existence but this test is a step towards reinforcing policy of credible minimum deterrence.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017