NEW DELHI, India — India tested a new nuclear-capable missile Friday and announced it will not pull troops back from Pakistan's border anytime soon, raising tensions with its rival neighbor and drawing international criticism.
Officials said the missile, a shorter-range version of the intermediate-range Agni-I, was successfully fired over the Bay of Bengal from Wheeler's Island off the coast of Orissa state in eastern India. The new missile's range is 420 miles.
The test drew immediate criticism from Pakistan and from the United States, Britain and Germany. All said it sent the wrong signals amid the tension with India's nuclear-armed neighbor.
"We hope the international community will take note of this Indian behavior, which is prejudicial to the pursuit of stability in our region, especially during the current situation," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said.
Indian officials said the test was routine and had no political meaning. They said it was scheduled months ago, well before a deadly Dec. 13 attack on the Indian Parliament prompted India and Pakistan to mass forces along their border.
"The test was conducted in a nonprovocative manner and has no bearing on the situation on the India-Pakistan border," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said.
India accused two Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups and Pakistan's intelligence agency in the Parliament raid, in which 14 people were killed, including the five attackers.
Hundreds of thousands of Indian and Pakistani soldiers, missiles, fighter jets and tanks have since faced each other across their border since last month in the two nations' biggest military standoff in decades.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he would have preferred that India "had not performed that test at this time of high tension." But Powell said he did not think it would further inflame relations with Pakistan.
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the missile launch was long expected and did not demonstrate any new capabilities for India.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.