FO rejects India’s 'purported closure' of incident involving firing of missile into Pakistan

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India’s “purported closure” of the inquiry into the accidental firing of a supersonic missile into the country earlier this year, reiterating the demand for a joint probe into the incident.

On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force said the government had sacked three officers for accidentally firing a missile into Pakistan in March, an incident that the two nuclear-armed rivals handled calmly 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, prompting Pakistan to seek answers from New Delhi on the safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidental launches.

India sacks 3 officers for accidentally launching missile into Pakistan in March

"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," the air force said in a statement.

Reacting to the announcement, Foreign Officer (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that it had seen India’s announcement of the findings regarding the incident and the decision to terminate the services of three officers reportedly found responsible for the reckless incident.

“As expected, the measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident and the subsequent findings and punishments handed by the so-called internal Court of Inquiry are totally unsatisfactory, deficient, and inadequate.”

He said that India not only failed to respond to Pakistan’s demand for a joint inquiry but has also evaded the questions raised by Pakistan regarding the command and control system in place in India, the safety and security protocols and the reason for India’s delayed admission of the Missile launch.

"Systemic loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in the handling of strategic weapons cannot be covered up beneath the veneer of individual human error. If indeed India has nothing to hide then it must accept Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe in the spirit of transparency," he said.

The FO spokesperson called India’s action over the March 9 firing “imprudent”, adding that it had jeopardized the peace and security environment of the entire region.

“Pakistan’s demonstration of exemplary restraint is a testament to our systemic maturity and abiding commitment to peace as a responsible nuclear state,” he said.