Islamabad: A test of Pakistan’s nuclear-capable Shaheen-3 missile reportedly ended in failure on July 22, with the missile crashing in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district, sparking fresh concerns over the safety of military testing in civilian areas.
Sources indicate that the missile was launched from the Rakhi area of Dera Ghazi Khan but veered off course and exploded mid-air. Debris reportedly landed near civilian settlements in the Maat region of Dera Bugti, only 500 meters from populated areas. The incident occurred close to the Grapaan Valley and Loop Sehrani Levy Station. The explosion created panic among locals and was reportedly heard up to 50 kilometers away.
Pakistani Punjabi Army carried out a failed test of Shaheen-III ballistic missile in Republic of Balochistan on Tuesday, 22 July 2025. Locals reported that the missile was fired from Balochistan’s territory of Dera Ghazi Khan which landed dangerously close to civilian settlement pic.twitter.com/VF4o15pa77
— Baba Banaras™ (@RealBababanaras) July 23, 2025
The Pakistan Army immediately imposed a communication blackout in the affected areas, cut off internet access, and restricted movement. Residents were instructed to stay indoors as officials assessed the situation. Videos of the explosion and fleeing civilians surfaced briefly on social media before being taken down.
Officials have not issued a detailed statement on the incident. However, local authorities suggested the blast could have been caused by a sonic boom from a fighter jet, pending a formal investigation. The Dera Ghazi Khan Commissioner’s office has not confirmed any damage to nuclear facilities in the vicinity.
The Shaheen-3 missile, with a range of approximately 2,750 kilometers, is designed to deliver nuclear warheads and reportedly developed with Chinese assistance. This is not the first reported failure of the missile. Similar incidents occurred in 2020, 2021, and 2023, with crashes in Balochistan and Sindh, some causing damage to civilian property.
Human rights groups and Baloch activists have condemned the repeated use of Balochistan as a testing ground for missile experiments. The *Republic of Balochistan*, a political group advocating for the region’s autonomy, called the incident a “deliberate endangerment of Baloch lives.”
Repeated test failures, combined with restricted transparency, have raised serious concerns regarding the safety protocols of Pakistan’s missile program and its implications for regional security.