NEW DELHI: Speculation was rife on Friday that India was on the verge of test firing the nuclear-capable Agni-III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), even as the defence establishment said it was 'not aware' of this.
"I do not know from where they have got the report from. I am not aware of any such test," a defence ministry official said, not wanting to be identified.
He was reacting to a report by a TV news channel that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that developed the missile which is capable of reaching China, was on the point of sending it aloft.
There have been indications since 2004 that Agni-III, a three-stage missile that adds a third stage to the first and second stages of Agni-II, was ready for launch.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has repeatedly stated the launch had been put off due to India's "self-imposed restraint" on testing the missile.
Media reports in May said the Agni-III test flight had been put off under pressure from Washington, which felt this would send all the wrong signals at a time when the US Congress, as also the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), were considering the proposed India-US civilian nuclear deal.
Mukherjee immediately rubbished the suggestion, saying: "We have no pressure on us. We have decided on a self-imposed restraint," Mukherjee said May 15.
"As responsible members of the international community, we want to keep our international commitments on non-proliferation," he added.
Last month, officials had dismissed a media report that claimed the US had given its nod for test firing Agni-III, saying this was only the interpretation of Washington think tank Stratfor.
"The think tank has interpreted a statement Gen. Peter Pace (chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff) made (in New Delhi) here (this week) to imply that the US had given its go ahead for the test. India has made it amply clear that we have imposed a voluntary ban on testing and that is where the matter stands," a defence ministry official said.
