Amid rising regional tensions following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Pakistan is expected to conduct a surface-to-surface missile test from its financial capital, Karachi, according to sources familiar with the development.
The notification for the test was issued by Pakistani agencies at approximately 2130 hours Indian Standard Time on Wednesday — coinciding with an emergency meeting of India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), where key decisions were taken in response to Islamabad’s alleged involvement in the Pahalgam attack.
Sources indicated that the missile test may take place either later today or by Friday. Indian security and intelligence agencies are said to be monitoring the situation with heightened alertness.
The missile test plans were revealed in the wake of Tuesday’s terrorist assault in Baisaran meadow, Pahalgam, where 26 persons, including a Nepali national, were killed. The attack comes just weeks before the commencement of the annual Amarnath Yatra, which passes through the area.
Reports emerging on Wednesday suggested that The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit widely believed to be backed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the carnage.
In response, India has taken a series of retaliatory diplomatic and strategic measures. Following the CCS meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced, “Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme.”
He also declared that India would place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, a move widely seen as a signal of escalating displeasure with Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border militancy.
The CCS, which deliberated for over two hours, was given a comprehensive briefing on the Pahalgam incident and its implications. The committee condemned the attack “in the strongest terms” and extended its “deepest condolences” to the bereaved families, expressing hope for the swift recovery of those injured.
Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam is the deadliest such incident since the 2019 Pulwama bombing that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. Notably, it also marks the largest attack in the Kashmir Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
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