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Pakistan has claimed to have conducted the "training launch" of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 120 kilometres from its Fatah series, local television channel PTV News reported on Monday.
PTV aired archival visuals of the training launch test as part of Exercise Indus as per a statement by Pakistan's military arm, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as per a report in the Dawn news outlet. 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 accuracy," the ISPR was quoted as saying as per the Dawn report. The development comes amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people while several others were injured. On May 3 sources told ANI that Pakistan was preparing to test fire surface to surface ballistic missiles which would be perceived in New Delhi as a "reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation in its hostile campaign against India." The sources also went on to say that the planned missile test in such volatile conditions was a "desperate attempt to whip up tensions with India." Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. The central government also decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. The Government of India also immediately suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals. Amid the ongoing tensions, India also imposed an immediate ban on the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade flows, according to a notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. On April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the national resolve to deal a "crushing blow to terrorism" and gave India's armed forces "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack. (ANI)
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