The Pakistani military launched the 450-kilometer-range Abdali surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Saturday, just hours after Indian officials declared that Pakistan’s intentions to test a ballistic missile would be viewed as a “reckless act of provocation.”
Pakistan’s military’s media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement 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.”
Pakistan’s strategic forces now use the Abdali, a tactical ballistic missile deployed on land. The ISPR statement did not include additional information about the missile, but it appears that the Saturday test version had a greater range. The range of the road-mobile, solid propellant Abdali missile was formerly estimated to be between 180 and 200 kilometers.
The planned Pakistani ballistic missile test was viewed by Indian authorities as a “dangerous escalation” of Islamabad’s “hostile campaign” against New Delhi and a “reckless act of provocation,” as HT was the first to reveal just hours before the test.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan frantically issued naval warnings, increased Arabian Sea drills, and engaged in ongoing ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border in Jammu and Kashmir, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One of the individuals stated, “This planned missile test is nothing short of a blatant provocation and a desperate attempt to whip up tensions with India, especially under such volatile conditions.”
According to the ISPR release, “Exercise Indus” included the “successful training launch” of the Abdali weapon system.
Continuing tensions between India and Pakistan seemed connected to New Delhi’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty as part of punitive actions against Islamabad following the Pahalgam terror assault, and to the military exercise’s codename. Any attempt to halt or redirect the nation’s portion of river waters under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty will be viewed as an “act of war,” according to Pakistan’s leadership.
Scientists and engineers from Pakistan’s strategic organizations, as well as the commander and senior officials of the Strategic Forces Command of the Pakistan Army and the Strategic Plans Division, which is responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons, saw the missile launch.
“Expressed complete confidence in the operational preparedness and technical proficiency of Pakistan’s Strategic Forces to ensure credible minimum deterrence and safeguard national security against any aggression,” the statement read, citing the three service chiefs, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.
Between January and early April of this year, the Pakistani military broke the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control in February 2021. However, the most widespread cross-border gunfight since the truce’s resuscitation in 2021 was triggered Wednesday by the persistent targeting of Indian troops along the LoC and the international boundary.
Recently, both nations have also engaged in military drills.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted India’s military “complete operational freedom” on Tuesday to choose the strategy, objectives, and timing of the country’s reaction to the terror attack in Pahalgam. He also emphasized the country’s determination to deliver a “crushing blow to terrorism.”
Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister of Pakistan, told a media briefing on Wednesday that his nation will not take any more drastic measures but will react “forcefully” to any such action by India. The Pakistani side has demanded an independent investigation into the incident and denied any involvement in the Pahalgam terror assault.
