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Foreign Office urges international community to take notice of incident and help promote strategic stability in region
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Saturday demanded a joint probe with India to “accurately” establish the facts surrounding Delhi’s “accidental” firing of a missile that crashed in Mian Channu, narrowly averting any loss to life or injury.
On Thursday night, Maj. Gen. Iftikhar, the spokesman for the armed forces, told a televised press conference that a “high-speed flying object”—suspected to be an unarmed missile—was picked up inside Indian territory by the Air Defense Operation Center of the Pakistan Air Force at 6:43 p.m. on Wednesday. The object, he said, had violated Pakistan’s airspace and ultimately fallen near Mian Channu at 6:50 p.m. Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sought an explanation by India.
On Friday evening, the Indian defense ministry issued a brief statement stressing it was “deeply regrettable” and expressing relief that no loss of life occurred. “On March 9, 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” it said. “It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. The government has taken serious view and ordered a high-level court of enquiry,” it added.
In its statement, the Foreign Office stressed that the “grave nature” of the incident raised several “fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorized launch of missiles.” Dismissing India’s statement as “simplistic,” it highlighted some questions that Delhi must address.
“India must explain the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident,” it said, adding that Delhi also needed to explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistan.
“India also needs to explain the flight path/trajectory of the accidently launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into Pakistan,” it said, questioning whether the missile had been equipped with a self-destruct mechanism and why it failed to actualize.
“Are Indian missiles kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance,” it questioned, and pointed out that India had waited till after Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification before admitting to its error. “Given the profound level of incompetence, India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elements,” it added.
“The whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in Indian handling of strategic weapons,” it emphasized. “Given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to counter measures in self-defense with grave consequences,” it warned.
“Pakistan, therefore, calls upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearized environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region,” it added.