New Delhi: India said on Friday it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan because of a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance.
“On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the government 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.”
“The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry,” the statement added.
The development comes a day after Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar revealed that an Indian projectile had entered the Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, causing some damage to the surrounding areas.
In response, the Foreign Office said Friday morning Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by a “super-sonic flying object” of Indian origin.
Briefing journalists about the incident in Rawalpindi Thursday, 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 Air Force.” Reuters
