Pakistan’s military says it has successfully test-fired a ballistic missile as tensions with neighbouring India over a deadly shooting attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month remain high.
The surface-to-surface missile, named the Abdali Weapon System, with a range of 450km (280 miles), was successfully tested as part of an exercise on Saturday, Pakistan’s government said.
It added 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 tactical missile, which can carry conventional and nuclear warheads, is named after Ahmad Shah Abdali, the 18th-century founder of modern Afghanistan who led numerous invasions of the Indian subcontinent.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the scientists, engineers and those behind the successful missile test.
The ballistic missile’s test-firing came three days after Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad had “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch a military strike within 24 to 36 hours in response to the killing of 25 male tourists and a Kashmiri last month in Indian-administered Kashmir.
India and Pakistan both stake a claim on the entire Kashmir region, but rule over parts of it. They have seen tensions spike over the issue frequently since their independence from British rule in 1947.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing the April 22 attack in the scenic Pahalgam area by suspected Kashmiri rebels, and alleges that Pakistani nationals were involved in the killings. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack.
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