Photo: AFP
Indian officials say a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance caused a missile from India to misfire into Pakistan on Wednesday.
Delhi expressed relief that there were no victims in the incident and said it was “deeply regrettable.”
According to the Pakistani military, the “high-speed flying object” had crashed near the city of Mian Channu. Its flight path had endangered passenger flights, they added.
Both India and Pakistan own nuclear weapons.
India’s defense ministry released a statement that reads: “On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry.”
Islamabad warned Delhi to “be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence” and now avoid a similar incident. It added that the missile had been launched from Sirsa in Haryana state.
Pakistani air force recorded that the missile traveled at Mach 3, which is three times the speed of sound, and was flying at an altitude of 12,000m (40,000ft) and 124km (77 miles) into Pakistani airspace before crashing.
Pakistani military spokesperson Major-General Babar Iftikhar said on Thursday, “The flight path of this object endangered many national and international passenger flights both in Indian and Pakistani airspace, as well as human life and property of ground.”
Pakistan’s foreign ministry had complained to India’s chargé d’affaires about the incident on Friday.
Pakistan also pushed for India to share the findings of its investigation into the incident.
