The Indian defence ministry regretted on Friday a missile that “accidentally” entered Pakistan and fell in Khanewal district’s Mian Channu area on Wednesday, attributing the incident to a “technical malfunction”.
“On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the ministry said in a statement. “It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan.”
New Delhi’s defence ministry claimed that routine maintenance made the missile go off because of a ‘technical malfunction’. “The government has taken serious view and ordered a high-level court of enquiry,” the statement added. The ministry said while the incident was “deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident”.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Friday summoned the Indian envoy to register Pakistan’s protest over the unprovoked violation of its airspace by an Indian origin “super-sonic flying object” two nights ago, saying such “irresponsible incidents” reflected the neighbouring country’s “disregard for air safety and callousness towards regional peace and stability”. It also called for a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident, the results of which should be shared with Pakistan.
“The Indian [envoy] was told to convey to the Government of India Pakistan’s strong condemnation of this blatant violation of Pakistani airspace in contravention of the established international norms and aviation safety protocols.
