Pakistan has rejected a decision by India to hold a judicial inquiry into the Indian missile strike in Pakistani territory and called for a joint investigation. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has also announced that he will raise the issue with the international community.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, an Indian missile landed in Pakistani territory during a routine exercise, but it is safe to say that no casualties were reported. The Ministry of Defense blamed the incident on technical glitches and said the Indian government had taken note of the decision to conduct a judicial inquiry. In response to the Indian Defense Ministry’s statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry has rejected India’s position and called for a joint investigation instead of a unilateral judicial inquiry. A statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign office on Saturday asked India for details about the missile’s design and capabilities.
According to the Foreign Office, if the missile was not aimed at Pakistan and it was part of a routine exercise, then why did India not inform Pakistan in advance?
Also speaking to reporters in Multan on Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that he would take up the issue of launching Indian missiles on Pakistani soil against the international community.
He said that if India’s position was accepted that it was an accident then it was still a matter of concern and Qureshi said that it would raise questions about India’s claim to effective protection of its nuclear and missile systems.
Speaking at a press conference at the Pandi Military Center on Monday, Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, head of the Pakistan Army’s public relations department, accused India of violating Pakistan’s airspace.
He said that on March 9, an unidentified bird had entered Pakistan from India and then crashed into a wall in the Miachno area of Punjab province.
The military spokesman also confirmed that there were no casualties in the attack, but warned India that the incident could lead to a major skirmish between the two countries.
The Indian Defense Ministry did not name the missile, but reports said it could be a BrahMos supersonic warhead developed jointly by Russia and India.
According to the Indian media, BrahMos is capable of hitting its target at a speed of 300 kmph and India wants to increase its capability.
Talat Massoud, a defense analyst, and former Pakistani army general said Pakistan’s concerns over the missile strike were justified and denied any negative image of Pakistan’s defense system. In an interview with VOA, Talat Massoud said that Pakistan had not only fired missiles at Haqpqat but also immediately believed that the missile was unarmed and lacked ammunition.
Earlier, international organizations and researchers had raised concerns over the security of nuclear programs between Pakistan and India, two neighboring countries that have fought three wars over Kashmir.
Another prominent defense researcher, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui, tweeted that such incidents could have serious consequences and called on the two countries to start talks to prevent a nuclear war.
