Pakistan successfully test-fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads this morning, as part of efforts to boost defences in its rivalry with India.
The test of the Ghauri (Hatf V) missile, capable of carrying all types of warheads and travelling up to 1,500 km (930 miles), came a week after a new government took office in India.
A Pakistani military statement said Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali watched the test-firing, but did not say where the test was carried out.
"The Prime Minister made it clear that Pakistan's edge over its adversaries in the strategic field will be maintained at all costs," the statement said, in an implicit reference to India.
"(The) government will provide necessary resources to maintain the quality of the nation's defence."
There was no immediate reaction from India, but an Indian defence ministry official said the test had been expected.
Pakistan says its weapons programme is a response to that of India, with which it has fought three wars since both countries won independence from Britain in 1947.