Defence Minister Rajnath Singh To Speak On 'Inadvertent Firing Of Missile' In Pakistan In Lok Sabha Today

The defence ministry has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident and said it was a matter of relief that there was no loss of life due to the accidental firing

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives to attend the second part of Budget Session, at Parliament House, in New Delhi, Monday, March 14, 2022. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh is going to make a statement in Lok Sabha today over the "inadvertent firing of missile" that landed in Pakistan on March 9, according to news agency ANI.

The statement comes on the second day of the budget session in Parliament that kicked off after a month-long break.

Earlier, India had said that a missile was accidentally fired from a military base and expressed regret that it landed in Pakistan.

In response to the missile firing, Pakistan Army had said that an Indian projectile entered its airspace and caused damage to the surrounding areas after it fell near a place called Mian Channu in their territory, according to ANI.

In response to the incident, Pakistan foreign office had summoned India's charge d'affaires and lodged a protest over what it termed as an unprovoked violation of its airspace.

In a statement, Pakistan foreign office warned New Delhi of "unpleasant consequences" over what it claimed was an Indian originated but an unidentified high-altitude supersonic object that crashed in its territory.

The foreign office asked India to employ effective measures to avoid such violations in the future.

What is India’s clarification?

For its part, the defence ministry has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident adding that it was a matter of relief that there was no loss of life due to the accidental firing.

"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 inquiry," the ministry noted in a statement.

"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," it said.