Pakistan tests another missile amid growing fears of Indian retaliation

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Pakistan on Monday conducted a "successful" test of a surface-to-air missile, in a second such activity since last week amid escalating tensions with India.

According to PTV News, Pakistan conducted a training launch of a FATAH Series surface-to-surface missile which has a range of 120 kilometers. It said that the test was part of its ongoing exercise INDUS.

"The launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy," the report said.

It added that the Pakistan army brass, which witnessed the launch, expressed confidence in the operational preparedness and technical proficiency of the military to "thwart any aggression against the territorial integrity."

The missile test comes days after Pakistan conducted a "successful" test launch of a surface-to-surface missile weapons system called "Abdali Weapon System".

"Pakistan today conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kilometres," the statement read, adding that the exercise was aimed at ensuring "operational readiness," news agency AFP reported.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have peaked since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which left 26 people dead. The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Following the terror attack, India took a raft of punitive measures, including the suspension of the 1960 Indus Accord, which governs water sharing between the two countries.

The test also comes at a time when Pakistani ministers are pre-empting a serious military action from India in retaliation to the attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah has vowed the strongest possible retaliation, saying that India will pursue the terrorists to the ends of the earth.