ISLAMABAD, May 24: Pakistan has notified India that it will conduct missile tests from this weekend, officials said on Friday.
“Yes, Pakistan has notified a number of countries about this, including India, Iran and the United States, as is the practice,” a government spokesman said.
“It has nothing to do with the current situation. We have not undertaken tests, while India has been taking such tests.”
The spokesman did not say when the tests would be carried out, but an official source told AFP they would be done on Saturday through Tuesday.
India confirmed it had been informed by Pakistan that it planned to conduct “routine” short- and medium-range missile tests between Saturday and Tuesday.
“We have been informed by Pakistan that it plans to carry out a series of missile tests comprising short- and medium-range missiles, and that appropriate notifications have been issued for these tests, which are scheduled for May 25 and 28,” a statement by the Indian external affairs ministry said.
“This is routine and not central to the current situation,” the statement added.
“What is and what we would expect and judge by is the specific action taken by Pakistan to stop cross-border infiltration and terrorism,” it said.
“That is why the government of India is not particularly impressed by these missile antics, clearly targeted at the domestic audience of Pakistan.”— AFP
