NEW DELHI: Pakistan said on Wednesday it has informed the United Nations about the Indian missile that landed on its territory on March 9, an incident India said happened due to a technical error but India’s explanation has not satisfied Islamabad.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi(pix), speaking at a joint press conference with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha after a meeting of the OIC foreign ministers in Islamabad, said Pakistan has written to the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the U.N. Security Council president to “highlight the seriousness” of the missile incident.
“That accidental fire could have led to an accidental war in South Asia. It is as serious as that,“ he said.
Qureshi said the incident raised “some very cogent questions that need to be answered” and reiterated Pakistan’s demand for a joint investigation into the matter.
India’s Defence Ministry on March 11 said “a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile” during “a routine maintenance.”
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament on March 15 that the country would conduct a review of its standard operating procedures for managing its advanced weapon systems and asserted that India’s missile system was “very reliable and safe.”
The Indian government has not specified what type of weapon was involved in the accident. –Bernama
