Defense Minister Khawaja Asif avoided answering a question about whether Pakistan had tested a hypersonic ballistic missile, saying such questions should not be asked publicly.
“Now don’t ask all these questions. Do those things in private,” he said while responding in an interview on Samaa TV show ‘Mere Sawal’ on Friday, when asked to confirm whether Pakistan had conducted the missile test or not.
The question arose in the wake of a “rare lenticular cloud formation” observed over Quetta in the early hours of Tuesday that left the public baffled about the phenomenon and its origins.
Citizens had reported seeing the phenomenon during morning prayers in many parts of Balochistan and speculation was rife about the probable cause. Many social media accounts had hinted that the cloud formation was the result of a missile test or new technology tested by the military.
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“The cloud appeared before dawn, persisted for about 20 minutes, and dissipated just before dawn.”
According to the UK Met Office, lenticular clouds are lens-shaped orographic wave clouds that form when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction at different heights through the troposphere.
“These strange, unnatural-looking clouds sometimes form downwind of hills or mountains… They closely resemble the traditional shape of flying saucers from science fiction, and actual lenticular clouds are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO (unidentified flying object) sightings around the world,” he said.
