Pakistan not pleased with India’s handling of accidental missile launch

Pakistani officials are not satisfied with India’s solution to an inadvertent missile launch that caused a supersonic weapon to fly over its territory for more than three minutes before landing in a residential area in Punjab province on March 9.

On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force said it ended its inquiry of that tense encounter between the nuclear neighbors, who share a 2,000-mile border. India’s investigation into that “deeply regrettable” incident, which it called a “technical malfunction,” resulted in the firing of three military officers.

Al-Jazeera reports that Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs finds that resolution insufficient and repeated its call for a joint probe.

Indian Army's Brahmos Missiles (Gurinder Osan/)

“India has not only failed to respond to Pakistan’s demand for a joint inquiry but has also evaded the questions raised by Pakistan regarding the command-and-control system in place in India, the safety and security protocols and the reason for India’s delayed admission of the Missile launch,” Pakistani officials reportedly said in a statement.

The unarmed BrahMos missile launched over Islamabad airspace caused light structural damage in eastern Pakistan, but caused no reported injuries. It landed just over 300 miles outside Pakistan’s capital.

India said the individuals responsible for the “deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures” resulting in the missile launch would be relieved of duty immediately.

With News Wire Services