Pakistan missile test: Amid heightened tensions after the tragic attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Pakistan has issued a maritime notification for a scheduled test of a surface-to-surface missile off the Karachi coast. The test will be conducted within Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and is likely to take place between April 24 and 25, as per a report by ANI.
The timing of the announcement around 9:30 PM IST on Wednesday matches with India’s high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, headed by PM Narendra Modi. A series of strong retaliatory measures was finalised against Pakistan.
India is closely watching developments related to missile test
India’s defense and intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on the developments related to the Pakistan’s missile test. According to an ANI report, officials stated that the test seems to be symbolic given its timing after the April 22 terror attack. A total of 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one from Nepal, were killed at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the brutal attack.
In response, India has announced slew of measures, including ending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, closure of the integrated Attari check post and cancelling all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals.
The Indian leadership condemned the Pahalgam attack in the strongest terms during the CSS meeting. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, while addressing the media, highlighted the cross-border links related to the attacks and restated India’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.
The families who have lost their loved ones have demanded that the government deliver justice and ensure such terror attacks do not take place again. The Pahalgam attack is one of the worst in the region since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. This incident also marks a serious escalation in militant violence after the abrogation of Article 370.
(With inputs from ANI)