Pakistan on Monday claimed it successfully conducted a “training launch” of a Fatah-series surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 120 kilometres, according to state broadcaster PTV News. The missile test was reportedly part of Exercise Indus and aimed at validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy, the country’s military media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated.
The televised announcement, which featured archival visuals of the missile launch, comes at a time of heightened tensions with India following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people and injured many others.
According to a Dawn report, ISPR described the launch as part of routine training efforts to ensure operational readiness. However, Indian intelligence sources, cited by ANI on May 3, characterized the test as a reckless provocation and a dangerous escalation, especially in the current volatile climate.
In response to the Pahalgam attack, India has taken a series of strong diplomatic and strategic countermeasures:
- Suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 until Pakistan ceases its support for cross-border terrorism.
- Closed the integrated Attari Check Post and expelled Pakistani High Commission officials by declaring them persona non grata.
- Revoked SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) benefits and suspended all visa services for Pakistani nationals.
- Imposed an immediate ban on all trade — direct or indirect — with Pakistan.
Following a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian government also granted the armed forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the terror attack, including deciding the timing and nature of the retaliation.
As the diplomatic standoff intensifies, Pakistan’s missile launch is being closely scrutinized in India as a strategic signal in an already fragile security environment.
