NEW DELHI: India has formally admitted and ordered a high-level inquiry into a missile which landed in Mian Channu city of Punjab province.
In a statement, the Indian Ministry of Defence said, “On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry.”
“It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident.”
The development comes a day after Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar revealed that an Indian “supersonic flying object” had entered the Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, causing some damage to the surrounding areas.
Briefing journalists about the incident in Rawalpindi, the DG ISPR said: “At 6:43pm [on Wednesday], a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by the Air Defence Operation Centre of the Pakistan Airforce.”
“Pakistan strongly protests this flagrant violation and cautions against recurrence of any such incident in the future,” army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told reporters. “Whatever caused this incident to happen, it is for the Indians to explain,” he demanded.
READ MORE: FO summons Indian diplomat to protest airspace violation
Maj General Iftikhar said Pakistan’s air defense system picked up the surface-to-surface rocket as soon as it took off from the Indian city of Sirsa, about 104 kilometers from the border between the two countries, and “continuously monitored” its complete flight path.
“From its initial course, the object suddenly maneuvered towards Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s airspace, ultimately falling near Mian Channu,” he said.
The general explained that the missile was flying at an altitude of 12 kilometers and stayed in Pakistani airspace for roughly 204 seconds before ending up 124 kilometers inside Pakistan in the eastern border province of Punjab.
“And when it fell, it also damaged some civilian property. Thankfully, no loss or injury to human life was caused,” he said, noting that there were no sensitive military installations in the area of impact. he said the incident could have resulted in a major aviation disaster and civilian casualties on the ground.
In response, the Foreign Office said pm Friday Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by a “super-sonic flying object” of Indian origin.
“Such irresponsible incidents were also reflective of India’s disregard for air safety and callousness towards regional peace and stability,” the ministry said in a statement. It called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.
