New Delhi: Taking a serious note of the accidental firing of a missile in the course of a routine maintenance due to a technical malfunction, India has ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry into the matter.
“On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the Ministry of Defence said in a release.
“The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry,” the ministry added.
The Ministry of Defence said it is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan.
“While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident,” the ministry added.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan summoned India's Charge d'Affaires and expressed extreme displeasure with the alleged unprovoked breach of its airspace by an Indian-origin supersonic flying object.
Islamabad demanded a full and transparent inquiry into the matter.
The Indian diplomat was informed on Thursday night of an alleged breach of its airspace by an Indian-origin supersonic flying object that entered Pakistan from Suratgarh in India at 6:43 PM (local time) on March 9, according to a statement published after midnight by Pakistan's Foreign Office, news agency PTI reported.
The object crashed on the ground near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistan’s Punjab region at roughly 6:50 p.m. on the same day, inflicting damage to civilian property.
"The Indian diplomat was conveyed that the imprudent launch of the flying object not only caused damage to civilian property but also put at risk human lives on the ground," the Foreign Office (FO) was quoted by PTI in its report.