Pakistan test fires Ghaznavi; Why name missiles after barbaric invaders?

The test comes at a time when Pakistan is trying to internationalise the scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir.

New Delhi, Aug 28: Amid strained diplomatic relationship between India and Pakistan, Islamabad has test-fired short-range Surface-to-Surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi. Ghaznavi missile is capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads.

The missile has a length of 9.64m, diameter of 0.99 m, launch weight of 5,256 kg and is powered by a single-stage solid-fuel rocket motor.

"Pakistan carried out night training launch of surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi, capable of delivering multiple types of warheads up to 290 Kms," Pakistan Army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted.

The Pakistan military also tweeted a 30-second video clip of the missile launch and a group of military officers who posed with the missile before the launch.

Pakistan yesterday shut down three routes of the Karachi airspace and issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) and a naval warning of a possible missile test fire from the Sonmiani testing range near Karachi.

The test comes at a time when Pakistan is trying to internationalise the scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir. Amidst escalating tensions, Pakistan's railway minister yesterday predicted an India-Pakistan war. Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Wednesday that he feels that a full-fledged war will be fought between India and Pakistan in October or November this year. Ahmad made this prediction at an event which was organised to show solidarity with Kashmiris.

Pakistan's missile arsenal and their names:

Pakistan is expanding its missile arsenal and trying its best to match up with India's Agni missiles which can hit targets as far as 5,000 Kms. Last year in October, Pakistan test-fired medium-range ballistic missile Ghauri or Hatf-V which said to be capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometres.

Who are these Abdalis and GhaznavisThe Ghauri is a Pakistani modification of North Korea's Nodong ballistic missile. Pakistan is thought to possess around two dozen Ghauri missiles. Other than Ghauri, Pakistan has several other missiles like Shaheen, Ghaznavi, cruise missile Babur and Nasr. There are talks doing rounds about this Pakistani missile called Ababeel. There is some amount of mystery surrounding this missile. The exact range of this missile is not known and Pakistan is said to have carried out different kinds of test on Ababeel in recent times.

Who are these Abdalis and Ghaznavis:

What is interesting is the names of these Pakistani missiles. Abdali, Ghaznavi and Ghauri are names of some of these Pakistani missiles. These were ruthless, bloodthirsty invaders from the middle east who left a trail of blood in India. Pakistan must not forget that it was once part of India and these invaders plundered the very region which is now called Pakistan.

Missile named after invaders reflects Pakistan's mindset:

Ghaznavi, Ghauri, and Taimur left a trail of blood wherever they went and looted the locals. They destroyed temples, forced conversions and tormented the local people. Mahmud Ghaznavi, an 11th-century Persian invader of Turkic origin, invaded India 17 times and attained notoriety for destroying and looting the Somnath Temple. Ahmed Shah Abdali, an 18th-century Afghan king is known for the holocaust his army carried out on Sikhs. Between 1748 and 1765, Abdali invaded India 7 times and is also known for the humiliation he brought to the then Mughal dynasty.

Taimur invaded Delhi in 1398 and his invasion was followed by one of the brutal massacres which Delhi saw in the medieval ages. Babur was different from the above mentioned middle-eastern kings in the sense that he settled in India and founded the Mughal Dynasty. Even he is said to have destroyed Hindu temples.

Pakistan just does not want to come out of the mindset that Muslims are rightful rulers of the subcontinent. Even the history taught at schools in Pakistan emphasises more on Islamic rule during the Mughal period than of the freedom struggle and Vedic times. There is little mention of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters in their textbooks.

They try to imbibe this idea among their people that Muslims are the rightful rulers of India and that Hindus usurped power from them. After the 1947 partition, Pakistan was formed and their entire identity hinges on Islam. By naming missiles on Muslim invaders, they are trying to send a message that "We will plunder you in the same way that these tyrants did." It also highlights that Pakistan would ardently cling on to anything which is opposed to the Indian identity and these missile names are the most visible proof of this fact.