NEW DELHI: India perceives Pakistan’s preparations to conduct a ballistic missile test amid tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack as a “reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation”, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The proposed missile test is in line with other actions taken by Pakistan in recent days, including ramping up naval exercises in the Arabian Sea and ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the people said on condition of anonymity.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated dramatically since the April 26 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India announced a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan over “cross-border linkages” to the attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the closure of the only operational land border crossing at Attari.
“It is learnt that Pakistan is preparing to test-fire surface-to-surface ballistic missiles this week,” one of the people cited above said.
“This is a reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation in its hostile campaign against India,” the person said.
The planned missile test, under such “volatile conditions”, is nothing short of a “blatant provocation” and a “desperate attempt to whip up tensions with India”, the person said.
The people noted that in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has frantically issued naval warnings, ramped up drills in the Arabian Sea, and indulged in continuous ceasefire violations along the LoC.
Pakistani troops violated the February 2021 ceasefire agreement on the LoC around 15 times between January and early April this year. But the repeated targeting of Indian posts along the LoC and the international border on Wednesday sparked the most extensive cross-border exchange of fire since the truce was revived in 2021.
Unlike isolated and brief exchanges that were quickly resolved through established channels, the current pattern involves simultaneous salvos at multiple points and has persisted with increasing frequency after the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave India’s armed forces “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack. At the same time, he affirmed the national resolve to deal a “crushing blow to terrorism”.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar told a media briefing that his country will not resort to any escalatory action but will respond “very strongly” to any such move by India.
The Pakistani side has denied any involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack and called for an independent investigation into the incident.
Pakistan has retaliated with several counter-measures, including closing its airspace to Indian airliners and suspending all trade, including through third countries.