Pakistan test fires ballistic missile as tensions with India spike after
Kashmir gun massacre
[May 03, 2025]
By MUNIR AHMED
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan test-fired a ballistic missile Saturday as
tensions with India spiked over last month's deadly attack on tourists
in the disputed Kashmir region.
The surface-to-surface missile has a range of 450 kilometers (about 280
miles), the Pakistani military said. There was no immediate comment
about the launch from India, which blames Pakistan for the April 22 gun
massacre in the resort town of Pahalgam, a charge Pakistan denies.
Pakistan's military said the launch of the Abdali Weapon System 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.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
congratulated those behind the successful test. Missiles are not fired
toward the border area with India; they are normally fired into the
Arabian Sea or the deserts of southwest Balochistan province.
Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Muhammad Ali said Saturday's
missile was named after a prominent Muslim conqueror of India,
underlining its symbolic significance.
“The timing of this launch is critical in the current geopolitical
context,” Ali told The Associated Press. He said the test was intended
as a strategic signal to India after it had threatened to suspend a
crucial water-sharing treaty.
India's navy said on April 27 that its vessels had successfully
undertaken anti-ship firings to “revalidate and demonstrate readiness of
platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said days before that Pakistan had
“credible intelligence” of India planning to attack it within days.
Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its
entirety.
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Indian security officers inspect the site a day after where
militants indiscriminately opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam,
Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo,
File)
They have fought two of their three wars over the stunning Himalayan
region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive
diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims
over Kashmir.
The latest flare-up has caused the two countries to expel the
other’s diplomats and nationals, as well as the shuttering of
airspace.
On Saturday, India suspended the exchange of all mail from Pakistan
through air and surface routes and slapped an immediate ban on the
direct and indirect import of all goods from its neighbor.
India has also banned Pakistani-flagged ships from entering its
ports and prohibited Indian-flagged vessels from visiting Pakistani
ports.
India's military said Pakistani troops had fired at positions across
the border for a ninth consecutive night. The statement called the
firing unprovoked and said Indian troops “responded promptly and
proportionately.”
Pakistan did not confirm the exchange of fire at the Line of
Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir.
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Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain contributed to this report
from Srinigar, India.
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