India on Friday said that a missile was accidentally fired from a military base and expressed regret that it landed in Pakistan on 9 March.
The Pakistan Army had held a press conference on Thursday saying that an Indian projectile had entered the Pakistani airspace and caused some damage to surrounding areas after it fell near a place called Mian Channu in their territory. India’s Ministry of Defence said that it has ordered a court of enquiry into the incident adding that it was a matter of relief that there was no loss of life due to the accidental firing.
“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,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
“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,” it said.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Friday that the Pakistani Foreign Office “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’.”
On Thursday, the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar had said, “On March 9, at 6:43pm, a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by Air Defence Operations Centre of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). From its initial course, the object suddenly manoeuvred towards Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s airspace, ultimately falling near Mian Channu at 6:50pm.”
According to the Pakistanis, the projectile travelled 124 kilometres inside Pakistani territory in three minutes and 44 seconds.