On Wednesday, the Indian Armed Forces accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan on Wednesday, blaming the incident on a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance.
Delhi said it was "deeply regrettable" and expressed relief no one was killed.
Pakistan's military said a "high-speed flying object" had crashed near the eastern city of Mian Channu and its flight path had endangered passenger flights.
In a statement, India's Ministry of Defence said: "On 9 March 2022, in the course of 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."
Islamabad warned Delhi to "be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence" and to avoid a repeat. The object had been launched from Sirsa in Haryana state, it said.
The missile in question was not identified by India but the Pakistani Ministry of Defense described it as an “unarmed supersonic missile,” suggesting that it may have been an example of the BrahMos, a ramjet-powered weapon that is fielded by India in air-, ground-, and ship-launched versions.
Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos has a range of up to 310 miles and can be fitted with a high-explosive or a submunitions warhead; there have been rumors of a potential nuclear-armed variant but there is no evidence that such a version is currently in service.
It’s notable that India and Pakistan have an agreement in place to notify each other ahead of flight tests of ballistic missiles and major exercises. With this in mind, it’s possible that authorities in Pakistan had been forewarned that drills were taking place and possibly even that they involved this particular type of missile.
With both nations having nuclear arsenals, there have been warnings in the past of the potential for miscalculations or accidents leading to potentially catastrophic escalations.
An unnamed senior Pakistani security official also told Reuters that the incident had caused some alarm and could have escalated into a “critical untoward situation.”
Whatever the cause of the mishap, it’s clearly fortunate that the high-speed missile that landed in Pakistan didn’t cause any serious injuries or worse. At the same time, with the risk of escalation inherent in the region, it is also perhaps fortuitous that its launch didn’t lead to a military response from Pakistan.
Although India enjoys unambiguous conventional military superiority over Pakistan, this superiority is diminished by tactical considerations on the India-Pakistan border, as well as by India’s need to defend against a potential attack from China.
Moreover, since the nuclearization of the subcontinent in the late 1980s, Pakistan has repeatedly threatened the deployment of nuclear weapons in crises with India as part of its “catalytic” nuclear posture, designed both to deter a major conventional attack by India and to draw the United States and other great powers into any military crisis on the subcontinent.
Military experts have in the past warned of the risk of accidents or miscalculations by the nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought three wars and engaged in numerous smaller armed clashes, usually over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Tensions have eased in recent months, and the incident, which may have been the first of its kind, immediately raised questions about safety mechanisms.
