India-Pakistan Tensions: Islamabad Tests Ballistic Missile, Delhi Bans Imports
Amid the growing tensions between India and Pakistan, Islamabad on Saturday test-fired a ballistic missile.
The ballistic missile test launch coincided with India’s announcement of a ban on all imports from Pakistan, as diplomatic relations between the two South Asian neighbors reached a new low following the deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region on April 22, 2025.
Abdali Ballistic Missile
On Saturday, Pakistan claimed it successfully launched the Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile of 450-kilometers range, as part of Ex INDUS, the Pakistani military said in a statement.
The aim of the ballistic missile training launch was to “ensure the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced maneuverability features,” the statement said.
The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, as well as the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Services Chiefs congratulated participating troops, scientists, and engineers who took part in this trial.
#Pakistan today conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System—a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kilometers—as part of the military exercise Ex INDUS. pic.twitter.com/Kqt3gZeLa2
— Global Defense Insight (@Defense_Talks) May 3, 2025
They also expressed their complete confidence in the operational preparedness and technical proficiency of Pakistan’s Strategic Forces to protect the national security “against any aggression.”
Imminent Attack
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, claimed that he had “credible intelligence” that New Delhi was planning to attack Islamabad within a couple of days. “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours,” he wrote on X.
“Pakistan reiterates that any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively,” the Pakistani Minister added.
Days earlier, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told Reuters that India was planning to attack Pakistan. “There is a likelihood that India will attempt an incursion in Pakistan and will engage Pakistan militarily,” he said.
He noted that Islamabad had put its military on high alert to respond to any Indian attack. “We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now,” he said.
Import Ban
Amid the soaring tensions, India imposed a ban on imports coming from or transiting through Pakistan, reported Reuters. The Indian Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that the ban would come into force immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said in a notification on Saturday.
Trade between New Delhi and Islamabad has seen a decline over the last few years.
India-Pakistan Escalation
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have rapidly deteriorated after the deadly terror attack in the Indian-controlled region of Jammu and Kashmir which killed 26 tourists. New Delhi said that the attack had “cross-border” links to Pakistan, adding that two suspected militants were Pakistani. Meanwhile, Islamabad denied any involvement and called for a neutral investigation.
As a result, both countries engaged in tit-for-tat retaliatory measures. India downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad; suspended the Indus Water Treaty; closed a key border crossing between the two countries; and revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals.
Pakistan responded with closing its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, suspending all trade with India including via third countries, and cancelling visas for all Indian nationals.
Moreover, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire for days along the Line of Control (LOC) in the disputed Kashmir region, with no causalities reported.
Pakistan also warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan would amount to an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power.
History of Conflicts
India and Pakistan both claim the region of Kashmir in its entirety, with each administering part of it. In 2019, the Modi-led government revoked the region’s semi-autonomous status, bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi. This has raised tensions in the region.
The two South Asian neighbors have engaged in military standoffs in the past, according to BBC. In 2016, an attack against an Indian army camp in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 19 Indian soldiers and prompted New Delhi to launch “surgical strikes” against militant bases across the LOC.
In 2019, 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed in a bomb attack on their convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir. This led India to launch airstrikes deep into Balakot in Pakistan, triggering retaliatory raids and an aerial dogfight.
In each incident, India blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based militant groups, accusing Islamabad of tacitly backing them, a charge which Pakistan has denied.
