Pakistan’s military has announced the successful test-firing of a ballistic missile as tensions with fellow nuclear-armed neighbor India grow following the terror attack on Indian-administered Kashmir last month, which resulted in 26 civilians massacred.
Pakistan’s government unveiled that it was Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450km (280 miles), which can deliver either conventional or nuclear warheads.
The statement underscored that 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 maneuverability features.”
The timing of the launch significantly raises the temperature in the region, and will be taken as an ultra-provocative ‘warning’ from India’s perspective. Starting last week Pakistan said it fears a military incursion by the Indian Army could be ‘imminent’.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had said days ago Islamabad had “credible intelligence” that India has planning a military strikes “within 24 to 36 hours” – but apart from sporadic small arms border fire exchanged between each side, this scenario hasn’t materialized.
