Indian defence ministry admits ‘accidentally firing’ missile into Pakistan

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

India’s Defence Ministry issued a statement on Friday that its military accidentally fired a missile into neighbouring Pakistan.

“On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” it stated. “The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry.”

The ministry said that the accident is deeply regrettable, however, it did not apologize for the mishap.

“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.

The statement comes a day after Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar asked India for an explanation.

According to the DG ISPR, a supersonic Indian projectile, without a warhead, entered Pakistani airspace and crashed near Mian Channu in Punjab without causing human casualties or any major damage to property.

He had further added that the projectile was “picked up” by Pakistan’s radars while still in the Indian airspace and was tracked until it made the impact.

It could have been a deadly mistake

Talking to SAMAA TV, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has demanded an explanation and investigation of the accident.

“This was a very dangerous and irresponsible act,” he said. “It could have caused an accidental war if Pakistan wasn’t a responsible state.”

The foreign minister said that on February 26 India had violated a Pakistani air space and Pakistan had to respond in defence, adding that Pakistan Air Force shot down their two jets and returned the captured pilot, Abhinandan, after “offering him tea”.

“That cup of tea hasn’t got cold and I suppose they want another cup,” the minister quipped.

He said if it was a technical failure, it is very serious. “International community should take action over it and see if India is capable of having such weapons,” the minister said.

“The question raises here is that it had put the lives of civilians under jeopardy. Saudi Arabian, Qatari and Pakistani, three international airlines were at risk. They were under the flight path of the fired missile.”

The foreign minister has raised three questions to the international community:
• Would the aviation authority launch an inquiry of the accident?
• What if it had crashed in Mia Channu city? It could be a deadly mistake.
• Who should be held responsible?

Hard to believe anything India says

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf has called for an international investigation of the mishap.

“It has taken more than two days for India to accept that this was their missile launched ostensibly due to a technical malfunction during maintenance,” he tweeted Friday night. “This raises serious questions about India’s ability to handle such sensitive technology.”

The advisor also lamented the fact that the missile traveled close to the path of commercial airlines and threatened the safety of civilians.

He also said it is highly irresponsible of Indian authorities not to have informed Pakistan immediately that an inadvertent launch of a cruise missile had taken place.

“In a nuclear environment, such callousness and ineptitude raise questions about the safety and security of Indian weapon systems,” he added.

The national security advisor highlighted that there have been multiple incidents of uranium theft in India, adding that its citizens were arrested while smuggling uranium in the recent past.

He said that Pakistan has drawn the world’s attention to India’s irresponsible behavior that continues to pose a threat to regional stability. “Our calls have been ignored,” he said.

“Given this incident, and earlier ones, the world must consider whether India is able to ensure the safety and security of its nuclear and other high-end weapon systems.”

He said it is hard to believe anything the Indian government says.

“Therefore, the real circumstances surrounding this incident must also be investigated to ascertain if this was an inadvertent launch or something more intentional,” he maintained.

“The world must treat this incident with the urgency, sensitivity and alarm it deserves,” Moeed concluded.

Flying object tracked from the point of origin

The flying object, which the Pakistan Air Force later identified as an unarmed supersonic missile, was picked up by Pakistan’s air defence system at 6:43pm Pakistan time in India’s Sirsa, 104km from the Pakistan border, where it was launched from the ground.

The projectile first moved in the southwest direction and then changed its course and entered Pakistani airspace south of Bahawalpur. It was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet at a supersonic speed which ranged between Mach 2.5 and Mach 3.

The flying object travelled 124km inside Pakistan and remained airborne for 3 minutes and 44 seconds before crashing near Mian Channu at 6:50pm.

From being picked up by Pakistan to crashing near Mian Channu, the object was in the air for 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

On the ground, it damaged a wall and left a crater.

ISPR DG confirmed that the object was not shot down by Pakistan. However, he said all the tactical and technical measures were put in place and Pakistan knew exactly where the object was to make the impact. That’s why forces arrived at the site shortly afterwards.

Gen Iftikhar said Pakistan’s response was “perfect.” Countries take different measures during peacetimes and when they are at war, he said.

AVM Zia said that the initial investigation suggested that it was an unarmed supersonic missile.