Islamabad, May 3 (EFE).— Pakistan on Saturday launched a short-range missile amid a growing military standoff with India following a deadly attack in Kashmir and retaliatory shows of firepower from both sides.
The Pakistani military said the launch of the Abdali Weapons System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kilometers, was “successful.”
The launch, part of the ongoing INDUS Exercise, comes amid heightened tensions with neighboring India and simultaneous military drills on both sides.
A military statement said the weapons test “aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced maneuverability features.”
The test launch was overseen by senior military officials, including the Commander of the Army Strategic Forces Command and representatives from the Strategic Plans Division.
Pakistan’s government and military leadership expressed full confidence in the operational and technical capabilities of the Strategic Forces, underscoring their importance in maintaining credible minimum deterrence and defending national security.
The missile test follows days of intensified military activity along the Pakistan-India border in the disputed Kashmir region, which the two nations rule in parts but claim in full.
Pakistani security sources told EFE that the army has been conducting large-scale drills using modern weaponry to signal its preparedness to counter any threat.
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has reinforced its presence in the Arabian Sea, within its Exclusive Economic Zone, by carrying out a series of live-fire exercises off the coast of Gujarat, close to Pakistan.
These exercises, ongoing since at least Sunday, Apr. 27, included the launch of long-range missiles aimed at “revalidating and demonstrating the readiness of platforms, systems, and crews for a precision offensive strike.”
Pakistan’s missile launch and the concurrent military maneuvers on both sides come at a moment of deepening crisis between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
Tensions have surged following an Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir and a series of retaliatory diplomatic moves.
India accuses Pakistan of orchestrating the attack that killed 25 tourists and a local, although it has not presented evidence. Pakistan has strongly denied any involvement in the incident. EFE
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