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In an apparent bid to enhance its capability of carrying nuclear warheads, Pakistan has started a programme of missile production at its most vital defence installation near Islamabad recently, according to highly placed intelligence sources in Jammu.
Pakistan's missile factory, built with Chinese help, has so far produced eight HATF-I, HATF-II and HATF-III missiles during last one-and-a-half years at Fatehgunj, about 52 km from Islamabad, the sources said on Saturday.
Chinese technocrats and experts, the sources said, have been working on guidance and control systems, solid fuel and M-4X missile variants, reportedly supplied by Beijing to Islamabad.
Most of these missiles, namely Ghauri, Shaheen and HATF-I, produced by the factory were based on the dynamics of M-9 and M-11 technology, the sources said.
Entire nuclear and missile technology was assisted by China and based on clandestine procurement of technology and material from dubious sources, they said.
Due to lack of appropriate guidance system, Pakistan's indigenous missile development programme suffered setbacks, the sources said, and added that as a result Pakistan went in for surface-to-surface M-11 missiles from China.
So far Pakistan possesses 110 HAFT-I, 90 HAFT-II (M-11), six Shaheen-I and two Shaheen-II missiles, the sources said, and added that HAFT-I has a range of 60 to 100 km, followed by HAFT-II with 250-300 km range and pay load carrying capacity of 800 kg, Shaheen-I with a range 700-750 km and Shaheen-II with 2000 km range, the sources said.
Not only this, Pakistan also possesses 12 to 15 small to big missile launchers, the sources said and added these have been moved to very specific areas from where Indian cities could be easily targeted.
Around June 1999, a China-Pakistan deal was finalised at US $700 million, particularly for technology transfer, they said.
A team of nuclear scientists, engineers and other skilled personnel were sent for training in assembly and use of missiles to Beijing recently in this connection, they said.
HATF-III test fired by Pakistan towards the end of 1999 was a version of M-9 missile of Chinese origin assembled in Fatehjung missile factory, the sources said.
Similarly, HATF-I missile with a range of 80 km has also been test-fired by Pakistan over 17 times but the weapon apparently lacked a suitable guidance system, they said.
HATF-II, which is said to have a range of 300 km, is comparable to M-XII missiles, the sources said.
Meanwhile, an agency report said a top Pakistani defence official is scheduled to visit China next week.
Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, General Muhammad Aziz Khan, ranking next only to president and army chief Pervez Musharraf and vice chief of army General Muhammad Yousuf, will hold talks with high ranking Chinese officials in Beijing on January 15, official APP news agency said on Saturday.
He is visiting Beijing at the invitation of Gen Fu Quanyou, Chief of China's Peoples Liberation Army.
China recently supplied 40 new F-7MG fighter jets, which considerably strengthen the ageing fleet of Pakistan Air Force.
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