Pakistan demanded a joint probe into a missile India said it accidentally fired into its territory, rejecting New Delhi’s decision to hold an internal inquiry into the incident and calling on the international community to play a role.”Such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident,” it added. India said on Friday it had accidentally fired the missile into Pakistan this week because of a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance, giving its version of events after Pakistan warned New Delhi of “unpleasant consequences.”
The international community must play its “due role in promoting stability in a nuclearised environment”, the foreign office statement from Pakistan said, warning of “dire consequences” if any misinterpretation by one of the sides lead to an escalation. Military experts have in the past warned of the risk of accidents or miscalculations by the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars and engaged in numerous smaller armed clashes, usually over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Tensions have eased in recent months, and the incident, which may have been the first of its kind, immediately raised questions about safety mechanisms.
Pakistan demanded clarifications from India over its safety mechanism to prevent accidental missile launches, and whether it was appropriately handled by its armed forces.
According to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association, the missile’s range is between 300 km (186 miles) and 500 km (310 miles), making it capable of hitting Islamabad from a northern Indian launch pad.
The FO also drew the world’s attention to the serious incident and emphasized its gravity saying a response based on a misinterpretation of the situation, especially in the nuclearised environment, could have been catastrophic. “Given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to counter measures in self-defence with grave consequences,” it said. “Pakistan, therefore, calls upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearised environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region,” it added.
As Pakistan’s response to the incident has been widely praised, including by a number of Indians many of whom called it ‘mature’, the FO put seven questions to India related to the incident and security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorised launch of missiles. “India needs to clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistani territory. “India also needs to explain the flight path/ trajectory of the accidently launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into Pakistan? “Was the missile equipped with self-destruct mechanism? Why did it fail to actualize?
“Are Indian missiles kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance? “Why did India fail to immediately inform Pakistan about accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge till after Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification?
