Missile action ‘inadequate’
PAKISTAN rejected India’s closure of an incident when a supersonic missile was fired into Pakistani territory earlier this year, and reiterated its demand for joint probe, a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Wednesday (24) said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) last Tuesday (23) said at the end of its inquiry that the government had sacked three officers for accidentally firing a missile into Pakistan in March. The incident was handled calmly by the neighbours as there were no casualties.
The BrahMos missile – a nuclear-capable, land-attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India – was fired on March 9. It prompted Pakistan to seek answers from New Delhi on the safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidental launches.
“Pakistan categorically rejects India’s purported closure of the highly irresponsible incident and reiterates its demand for a joint probe,” the statement said.
The measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident, and the subsequent findings and punishments handed out by the so-called internal court of inquiry were totally unsatisfactory, deficient and inadequate, it added.
“India has not only failed to respond to Pakistan’s demand for a joint inquiry, but has also evaded questions raised by Pakistan regarding the command-andcontrol system in place in India, the safety and security protocols and the reason for India’s delayed admission of the missile launch,” the statement said.
The IAF said last week: “A court of inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile.”
It added the government had dismissed the three officers with immediate effect last Tuesday.
BrahMos, believed to be among the fastest cruise missiles in the world, can be launched from land, sea and air. The missiles – travelling at three times the speed of sound – are named after India’s Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva rivers, with ranges varying from 300-700 kilometres.