India needs to explain ‘missile accident’ better: Sherry Rehman

A day after Pakistan condemned what it called an “unprovoked violation of its airspace by an Indian origin ‘super-sonic flying object'”, India on Friday admitted that its military accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan, calling it “deeply regrettable”.

“In the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile” on Wednesday, India’s defence ministry said.

Read more: Air space of Pakistan violated by India on March 9: DG ISPR

It did not specify the type of missile, but said it landed “in an area of Pakistan”.

The incident was “deeply regrettable”, it said, adding that it was “a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident”.

Yesterday, Pakistan also summoned India’s charge d’affaires in Islamabad to the foreign office for a “strong protest.”

The “imprudent launch” had damaged property on the ground and put at risk both civilian lives and aircraft in Pakistani airspace, it said, accusing India of “callousness towards regional peace and stability”.

Senator Sherry Rehman took to Twitter on Saturday and said that “India needs to explain this better.”

“I still don’t understand how an “accidentally” launched missile landed across the border. Nuclear countries need to surely have tighter safety, security protocols,” she said on Twitter.

I still don’t understand how an “accidentally” launched missile landed across the border. Nuclear countries need to surely have tighter safety,security protocols. What if this thing had a warhead? India needs to explain this better. Had Pk shot this off, there would be bedlam

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— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) March 12, 2022

“What if this thing had a warhead? India needs to explain this better. Had Pk [Pakistan] shot this off, there would be bedlam,” she questioned.

Read more: Pakistan knows how to protect its boundaries, says Imran

National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf also called for an international investigation into India’s firing of a missile inside Pakistan.