Pak missile

The military’s claim of a credible second strike capability indicated the Babur had “entered into service” in the Pakistan Navy as an “operational missile system”, the report said.

Without naming India, the Pakistani military also sought to blame New Delhi for disturbing the strategic balance in the region by acquiring nuclear submarines and nuclear-capable missiles.

The development of second strike capability “reflects Pakistan’s response to provocative nuclear strategies and posture being pursued in the neighborhood through induction of nuclear submarines and shipborne nuclear missiles, leading to nuclearisation of Indian Ocean region,” the statement said.

The Babur missile was fired “from an underwater dynamic platform” and “successfully engaged its target with precise accuracy, meeting all the flight parameters”, the statement said.

A brief video posted on the ISPR website showed the red and white missile emerging from the water and cruising over the sea before hitting a target on land. At the time of its launch, the missile was within a capsule, which was jettisoned when the Babur rose above the sea surface. It was not revealed where the test was conducted.

This is only the second time that Pakistan has announced a test of the submarine launched Babur-III missile — the first was in January 2017, when it was launched from an unidentified “underwater mobile platform”.