Pakistan's self-reliance in weapons, equipment conducive to maintaining regional peace, stability: former defense attache.

BEIJING -- While commenting on successful test launch of Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile, a former defense attache has said that enhancement of Pakistan;s self-reliance in weapons and equipment is conducive to safeguarding the country's territorial integrity and maintaining regional peace and stability.

"In recent years, Pakistan has made persistent efforts in the research and development of military hardware and has scored big points rapidly.

In my opinion, the enhancement of Pakistan's self-reliance in weapons and equipment and the strength of its armed forces is conducive to safeguarding the country's territorial integrity, curbing the occurrence of regional wars or armed conflicts, and maintaining regional peace and stability," Cheng Xizhong, former Defense attache in South Asian countries and visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law said in a statement.

He remarked that Pakistan's military build-up is strongly supported by friendly countries in the region and the Middle East Muslim community.

"I have noticed in particular that, based on the spirit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) and joint fight against terrorist and extremist forces by both countries, Russia and Pakistan are getting closer, and political and military ties are being knotted. Russia even have hold joint military exercises with Pakistan," he added.

Cheng said that both Russian Foreign Minister Sergey...