New Delhi: The Union Defence Ministry on Friday said a technical malfunction during routine maintenance led to accidental firing of a missile on March 9, which landed in Pakistan.
The ministry noted that the "incident is deeply regrettable," but it was also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident. Nonetheless, the Union government has taken a serious view of the incident and ordered a high-level court of enquiry into the malfunction.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the country’s armed forces, said at a press conference that the supersonic object was launched from Sirsa in Haryana and was moving towards the Mahajan Field Firing range in Rajasthan but changed course before entering 124 km into their territory in three minutes and 44 seconds.
The incident has left military experts puzzled since the firing of a missile involves a step-by-step process, the identification of a target and toggling of multiple switches.
Pakistan on Friday summoned India's Charge d'Affaires and conveyed its strong protest over the alleged unprovoked violation of its airspace by an Indian-origin "super-sonic flying object" and sought a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident, which could have resulted in a serious aviation accident.
Aircraft of Saudi and Qatar airlines, as well as domestic flights, could have been hit, it was pointed out. According to Islamabad, the missile flew more than 100 km inside their airspace, at an altitude of 40,000 feet and at three times the speed of sound, before it landed. There was no warhead on the missile, so it did not detonate. Incidentally, aircraft often cruise at an altitude between 35,000 and 42,000 feet. ‘‘This could have been very detrimental to the safety of passengers," pointed out Air Vice Marshall Tariq Zia.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also voiced concern over the incident and said their next step would be decided after receiving India's explanation, adding that envoys of P-5 countries (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) will be called to the Foreign Office and briefed about the incident.
"India will have to be answerable for this," he said.
