India orders probe after missile accidental missile fired lands in Pakistan
India on Friday ordered a high-level probe into a missile that fell on March 9 in the city of Mian Channu in Pakistan’s Punjab province. In a statement, the Center said, “On 9 March 2022, during routine maintenance, a technical fault resulted in the accidental firing of the missile. The Government of India has taken the issue seriously and ordered a High Level Court of Inquiry.”
The Indian government said, “It has been learned that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While on one hand this incident is extremely regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that no one has lost their lives due to the accident.” Earlier in the day, the Pakistani armed forces claimed that a projectile from India had reportedly landed in its territory.
The Pakistan Army on Thursday claimed that it has detected a missile allegedly coming from India into its airspace that fell in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Pakistani army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told the media, ‘At 6.43 pm on March 9, a high-speed object took off from Indian territory and lost its way and entered Pakistan’s territory. The fall caused some damage to civilian areas, but no one was killed in it.”
Pakistan claimed that an unarmed Indian supersonic missile took off from Sirsa and landed at a distance of 124 km in Pakistani territory on Wednesday evening. The missile, it said, was hovering at an altitude of 40,000 feet and was also endangering passenger flights in both Indian and Pakistani airspace, and civilians and property on the ground.
What is the India-Pakistan agreement regarding missiles?
India and Pakistan signed an agreement in 2005 on the Pre-Notice of Flight Tests of Ballistic Missiles. As per the agreement, each country is required to notify at least three days before the flight test, whether it is surface-to-surface, land-launched or sea-launched missiles. It further states that the launch site should not fall within 40 km from the International Border or the Line of Control and should not fall within 75 km of the planned impact zone.
