Home Latest News Pakistan Rejects India’s Closure of Probe into Accidental Missile Firing

Pakistan Rejects India’s Closure of Probe into Accidental Missile Firing

Foreign Office reiterates demand for joint probe into incident after Indian Air Force sacks three officers for their role in missile firing

by Staff Report
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

File photo

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India’s “purported closure” of a probe into the accidental firing of a supersonic missile across their shared border on March 9, reiterating a demand for a joint probe into the incident.

“We have seen India’s announcement of the findings of an internal Court of Inquiry regarding the incident of firing of a rogue supersonic missile into Pakistani territory on March 9, 2022 and the decision to terminate the services of three Indian Air Force (IAF) officers reportedly found responsible for the reckless incident,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office. “Pakistan categorically rejects India’s purported closure of the highly irresponsible incident and reiterates its demand for a joint probe,” it added.

Describing the measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident as “totally unsatisfactory, deficient and inadequate,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regretted that Delhi had not only failed to respond to Islamabad’s call for a joint inquiry, but also refused to answer questions raised by Pakistan over its command and control system, safety and security protocols, and the reason a delayed admission of the missile launch.

“Systemic loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in handling of strategic weapons cannot be covered up beneath the veneer of individual human error,” it stressed. “If indeed India has nothing to hide then it must accept Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe in the spirit of transparency,” it added.

Noting the accidental firing and delayed admission had jeopardized regional peace and security, it said Pakistan’s “exemplary restraint” was a testament to its “systemic maturity and abiding commitment to peace as a responsible nuclear state.”

The statement concluded by reiterating a demand for the Indian government to provide specific responses to the queries raised by Pakistan after the incident, as well as the conduct of a joint probe.

On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force said the government had sacked three officers involved in the firing for deviation from Standard Operating Procedures. The BrahMos missile—a nuclear-capable, land-attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India—was fired on March 9, prompting Islamabad to seek answers from New Delhi on the safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidental launches.

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