New Delhi [India]: As tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan has issued a notification regarding a scheduled test of a surface-to-surface missile near its Karachi coast within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to sources.
The notification was released by Pakistani authorities around 9:30 PM IST on Tuesday, coinciding with the time when India’s top leadership convened a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting to formulate a response to the terror incident.
The missile test is scheduled to be conducted between April 24 and 25, and Indian security agencies are said to be closely monitoring the developments and keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
This development comes shortly after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed, many of them tourists. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In response, India has taken a series of strong diplomatic and strategic actions against Pakistan, including:
- Suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, pending credible steps by Pakistan to end support for cross-border terrorism.
- Immediate closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post.
- Cancellation of all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas issued to Pakistani nationals, with orders to exit India within 48 hours.
- Declaring Pakistani Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors persona non grata, with a one-week deadline to leave.
- Withdrawing India’s corresponding military advisors from Islamabad, along with five support staff members from both high commissions.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri outlined these measures, which were finalized during the two-hour CCS meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The CCS also extended its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms. Officials highlighted the cross-border linkages involved in the attack during the meeting.
The Pahalgam attack, which occurred at Baisaran meadow, marks one of the most brutal terror incidents in the Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama attack in 2019, where 40 CRPF personnel were killed. It is also one of the most devastating attacks following the abrogation of Article 370.
Grieving families of the victims have called for the harshest possible action against the perpetrators, and the Indian government’s recent decisions signal a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and its sponsors.