Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India is carrying out a “review of the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections” as during a routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released on 9 March which had landed 124 kilometres inside the territory of Pakistan.
Addressing the members in Rajya Sabha, Singh expressed regret about the accident and said, “I would also like to state that a review of the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections is being conducted in the wake of this incident. We attach highest priority to safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified.”
He said that India is relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident and taking serious concern of the incident. “A formal high-level inquiry has been ordered which would determine the exact cause of the said accident. I can assure the House that the missile system is very reliable and safe,” he said.
“Moreover, our safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order and are reviewed from time to time. Our Armed Forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems,” he added.
Pakistan had sought explanations from India over “technical malfunction” which “led to the accidental firing of a missile”.
Pakistan’s ISPR DG Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said on March 10, “On March 9, at 6:43pm, a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by the 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.”
The object travelled 124 kilometers inside the Pakistan territory and ultimately fell near Mian Channu at 6:50pm.
It was on Friday March 10 that the Ministry of Defence acknowledged the incident of the missile that landed in Pakistan’s Mian Channu in Khanewal district on March 9 and also ordered it to probe the matter at a high level.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said, “On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile.”
Subsequently, Pakistan has demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident. Islamabad also called upon the global community to take serious notice of the incident in a nuclearized environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region.
Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said, “The whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in Indian handling of strategic weapons. Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory.”
“The grave nature of the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against the accidental or unauthorized launch of missiles in a nuclearized environment. Such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Islamabad also sought explanations from India on “the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident”.
