India on Friday officially confirmed that one of its missiles was launched into the territory of its rival Pakistan. India said the launch was “accidental” and “deeply regrettable.” Pakistan did not accept the apology, denouncing the launch as a “flagrant” offense that should be investigated with “urgency, sensitivity, and alarm.”
Pakistani military officials said Wednesday night a “high-speed flying object” launched from India’s Haryana state crashed near the Pakistani city of Mian Channu, inflicting minor damage.
No injuries were reported, although the Pakistani government said civilian aircraft were seriously jeopardized by the passage of the supersonic missile.
“The flight path of this object endangered many national and international passenger flights both in Indian and Pakistani airspace, as well as human life and property of ground,” said a military spokesman.
The Indian missile BrahMos Weapon System is watched by spectators during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2014. (RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Pakistan summoned India’s top ambassador on Friday to lodge a complaint. India confirmed the damage to Mian Channu was caused by the inadvertent launch of an unarmed missile.
“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,” said a statement from the Indian Defense Ministry.
“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 statement added.
Pakistani National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf rejected the Indian statement, criticizing the Indian government for taking almost two days to admit a missile had been fired and expressing skepticism of the “technical malfunction” explanation.
“The world must treat this incident with the urgency, sensitivity, and alarm it deserves,” Yusuf said, wondering if the missile was truly an “inadvertent launch,” or perhaps “something more intentional.”
“It is also highly irresponsible of Indian authorities not to have informed Pakistan immediately that an inadvertent launch of a cruise missile had taken place,” he added.
“Whatever caused this incident to happen, it is for the Indians to explain. It nevertheless shows their disregard for aviation safety and reflects very poorly on their technological prowess and procedural efficiency,” sniffed Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar.
On Saturday, Pakistan demanded a “joint probe” of the incident by international investigators.
“Such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
The New York Times (NYT) was tremendously impressed by the “calm” exhibited by both parties, given the tensions between them, and their respective nuclear arsenals.
“One nuclear-armed state fired a cruise missile at another nuclear-armed state this week. They were not at war, and it did not start one,” the NYT was pleased to report.
Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at New Delhi’s Center for Policy Research, was thankful for the “great maturity” shown by Pakistan throughout the incident.
“We have been lucky this time. We should not make the mistake to think we will be lucky every time,” Singh said.
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