Pakistan Says Test-Fired Fatah Missile, Islamabad Earlier Alleged It Tested Ballistic Missile With 450-Km Range
New Delhi: Pakistan on Monday announced that it had successfully test-fired the Fatah surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120 kilometres, as part of its ongoing military drill, ‘Exercise Indus’. The missile test was intended to validate operational readiness and key technical capabilities, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and improved accuracy.
The launch follows closely on the heels of another missile test conducted on Saturday, when Pakistan claimed it successfully carried out a training launch of the Abdali Weapon System – a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 450 kilometres. The current military posturing comes against the backdrop of heightened hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. On April 22, a brutal attack in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region in recent times.
In response, India took a series of aggressive measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the revocation of visas issued to Pakistani nationals. Meanwhile, Pakistan initiated unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC), which continued for the 11th consecutive night on May 4-5, with India responding with retaliatory action. Pakistan has been on high alert ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted the Indian military “complete operational freedom” to respond to the terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead.
India has, however, not wasted any time in showing its military might. Last week, India’s frontline fighter jets, including Rafales, and its top pilots took part in a large-scale military exercise, named Aakraman (attack), and the Navy demonstrated its operational readiness.
