US suggests missile fired into Pakistan ‘an accident’

THE US on March 14 said it had “no indication” that India’s missile launch into Pakistan on March 9 was “anything other than an accident”.

US Department of State spokesman Ned Price made the remark in response to a question about the incident, advising the journalist to reach out to the Indian defence ministry, which he said issued a statement “to explain precisely what had happened”, adding that “we don’t have a comment beyond that”.

India issued the statement on March 11, a day after Pakistan’s military highlighted the issue at a press conference and two days after the actual launch of the missile.

At the March 10 press conference, director-general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar shared details of an Indian “high-speed flying object” that fell in Mian Channu, Khanewal district.

“On March 9, at 6:43pm [1343 GMT], a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by Air Defence Operations Centre of the Pakistan Air Force. From its initial course, the object suddenly manoeuvred towards Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s air space, ultimately falling near Mian Channu at 6:50pm,” he disclosed.

“When it fell, it damaged civilian properties,” he said, adding no loss of life was reported.

Air Vice Marshall Tariq Zia told the conference that at the time the projectile was picked up, there were two airway routes active and several commercial airlines were in the area. The projectile travelled 124km inside Pakistani territory in three minutes and 44 seconds, he said.

A day later, the Indian defence ministry issued the statement, regretting that a missile “accidentally” entered Pakistan and attributed the incident to a “technical malfunction”.

The Foreign Office asked why India failed to inform Pakistan immediately about the “accidental launch” of the missile and raised questions regarding the Indian safeguards against such happenings.