Islamabad – Saba:
Pakistan announced on Monday that it had conducted its second missile test since tensions with its neighbor India escalated over the disputed Kashmir region between the two countries.
According to Agence France-Presse, the Pakistani military said in a statement that the missile test “aims to ensure the operational readiness of Pakistani forces and validate key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and improved accuracy.” The statement added that the surface-to-surface missile has a range of 120 kilometers.
Last Saturday, the Pakistani military announced that it had tested a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kilometers.
The location of the test was not specified.
This comes amid mounting international pressure on New Delhi and Islamabad to ease tensions between them, especially since they have fought several wars over the disputed Kashmir region.
On Monday, the Kremlin called for an easing of tensions between Moscow's two successor states. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in his daily press conference, "We hope that the parties will be able to take measures to help reduce tensions."
Meanwhile, US Vice President Jay D. Vance called on India to respond to the attack "in a way that does not lead to a wider regional conflict."
In an interview with Fox News, he urged Pakistan to pursue and deal with what he described as terrorists who sometimes operate on its territory.
It is worth noting that Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region with a population of approximately 15 million, is divided between Pakistan and India, both of which claim full sovereignty over it.
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