Pak’s missile test ‘blatant’ act of provocation: India

Kashmiri women sit in a marketplace as CRPF soldiers stand guard in Srinagar, on Saturday. Pic/PTI

India considers Pakistan's test launch of a ballistic missile on Saturday amid escalating tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack as a "blatant" act of "provocation", people familiar with the matter said.

The Pakistani military said it carried out the launch of the Abdali surface-to-surface ballistic missile that has a range of 450 km. It is learnt that Islamabad provided prior information to New Delhi about its plan to carry out the missile test as mandated under laid-down obligations and norms.

"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 manoeuvrability features," the Pakistan army said in a statement.

The missile launch was part of "Exercise INDUS", it said but did not provide any details about the exercise. The people cited above described the missile test as a "blatant act of provocation".

Meanwhile, India on Saturday suspended exchange of all categories of mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes. The order suspending the services was issued by the Department of Posts that operates under the Ministry of Communication.

Terror suspect searched in Lanka flight

Sri Lankan police on Saturday searched a flight from Chennai after being tipped off that a suspect linked to the Pahalgam terror attack could be on board, police spokesperson said here.

A statement from the national carrier SriLankan Airlines said that its flight arrived at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport from Chennai at 11:59 am and underwent a comprehensive security inspection upon arrival.

"The search was carried out in coordination with local authorities following an alert from the Chennai Area Control Centre regarding a suspect wanted in India who was believed to be on board", the statement said. The aircraft was thoroughly inspected and subsequently cleared for further operations, it added.

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