The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Islamabad

Pakistan's army test-fired a long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Monday, the military said, the second test since the weekend.

The launch marked the culmination of a field training exercise for the Hatf-VI (Shaheen-II), which included a test firing on Saturday. "It validated the operational readiness of a strategic missile group equipped with (the) Shaheen-II missile," the military said in a statement, referring to Monday's test.

The missile, with a range of 1,200 miles, is a two-stage solid fuel weapon which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, the military said.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India routinely carry out missile tests despite a peace process they launched in early 2004.

The South Asian neighbors, who conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998, inform each other of missile tests in advance.