05 May,2025 07:23 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Pakistan has claimed to have conducted the "training launch" of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 120 km. Representational Image
Pakistan has claimed to have conducted the "training launch" of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 120 kilometres (km) from its Fatah series, the country's state broadcaster reported on Monday, according to news agency ANI.
The development comes amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in Kashmir.
The attack has triggered a wave of strong countermeasures by India against Pakistan, holding it responsible for supporting cross-border terrorism. In recent developments, New Delhi has imposed an immediate ban on the direct and indirect import and transit of all goods originating from or exported through Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade.
Amid these developments, Islamabad's state broadcaster, PTV, displayed archival visuals of the training launch test as part of 'Exercise Indus', a statement by Pakistan's military arm, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told a local news outlet.
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The launch was aimed at "ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy to ensure operational readiness and validate key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy", ISPR was quoted as saying.
According to ANI, the launch was seen by Indian intelligence sources as a "reckless act of provocation" and a "dangerous escalation" in Pakistan's hostile stance. On May 3, sources informed ANI that Pakistan was preparing for further missile tests, which New Delhi viewed as a desperate attempt to inflame tensions in an already volatile atmosphere.
On April 23, a day after the Pahalgam attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, convened to assess the security situation. The committee decided to place the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for terrorism.
Additionally, the Attari Integrated Check Post was ordered to be closed, cutting off a key transit point between the two nations.
The Prime Minister reiterated India's unwavering stance on terrorism during a public address on April 24, emphasising the country's stands to deliver a "crushing blow" to terror networks. He also granted India's armed forces "complete operational freedom" to determine the mode, targets, and timing of a suitable response to the Pahalgam attack.
(With inputs from ANI)
