Pakistan demanded a joint investigation on Saturday, claiming that the incident involving the accidental firing of a missile that ended up in Pakistan indicates many “loopholes and technical lapses” of serious nature in “Indian handling of strategic weapons.”
“Since the missile landed in Pakistani territory, India’s decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is insufficient.” In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said, “Pakistan demands a joint investigation to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident.”
Pakistan said it should be part of investigation
“Given the gravity of the incident, several fundamental questions about security protocols and technical safeguards against the unintentional or unauthorised launch of missiles in a nuclearized environment arise.” The MoFA stated that they had taken note of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) statement and that such a serious matter could not be addressed with the Indian authorities’ simplistic explanation.
The MoD said on Friday that during routine maintenance on March 9, a “technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” and that the Government of India has taken a “serious view” and has ordered a high–level Court of Inquiry. This comes a day after Pakistan made a detailed presentation that an Indian supersonic surface–to–surface missile landed 124 km inside its territory.
The incident with the missile landing in Pakistan is “deeply regrettable,” according to the Ministry of Defense, but it is also a source of relief that no one was killed.
Pakistan said that given India’s “profound level of incompetence,” it needs to explain whether the missile was handled by its “armed forces or some rogue elements?”
Pakistan also wanted to know about the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches, as well as the specifics of this incident, such as the “type and specifications of the missile,” the flight path and trajectory, and how it eventually turned and entered Pakistan. “Was there a self-destruct mechanism on the missile?” It inquired, “Why did it fail to actualize?”
“Are Indian missiles kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance?” the MoFA wondered, after India failed to immediately inform Pakistan about the accidental launch and instead waited until Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification.
“Given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could result in self–defense countermeasures with grave consequences,” the statement said, urging the international community to take seriously this “grave nature incident in a nuclearized environment” and play its part in promoting strategic stability in the region.
Pakistan’s description of the missile’s technical characteristics, that it was travelling at Mach 3 at 40,000 feet and was a surface–to–surface missile, matches the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which is in the inventory of all three military services. However, no official word on which missile was involved.
Background
Major General Babar Iftikhar, Director-General of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), said on Thursday that an Indian supersonic projectile entered Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, damaging some civilian property but causing no injuries.
The incident occurred on March 9, according to the Pakistani military, and based on preliminary analysis of the wreckage, it was determined to be a supersonic surface-to-surface missile “but certainly unarmed.”
“A high-speed flying object was picked up inside Indian territory by the Pakistan Air Force’s [PAF] Air Defence Operation Centre around 6.43 p.m. “From its initial route, the object abruptly changed direction and breached Pakistani airspace, eventually landing near Mian Channu at 6.50 p.m.,” Major General Iftikhar told a press conference. “Some civilian property was damaged when it dropped.” Thankfully, no human life was lost or injured.”
According to him, the PAF tracked the flying object’s entire flight path from its point of origin near Sirsa, India, to its site of impact near Mian Channu.
The Indian authorities did not respond to the charges right away. The incident happened on March 9, according to Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Tariq Zia. It began near Sirsa and appeared to be traveling towards the Mahajan field shooting range before turning south towards Pakistan after 70-80 kilometers. “From the time it was picked up until it hit the ground, it took 6 minutes and 46 seconds.” “However, it was only in Pakistani territory for 3 minutes and 44 seconds,” he explained.