US declines to comment on Indian missile firing into Pakistan

The United States Tuesday said that the Washington had no indication that India's missile launch into Pakistan last week was 'anything other than an accident'.

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price during a press briefing answered a question about the occurrence and referred the Pakistani journalist to reach out to the Indian Defence Ministry for a follow-up.

He said that the US did not have a further comment. “We have no indication, as you also heard from our Indian partners, that this incident was anything other than an accident. We refer you, of course, to the Indian Ministry of Defence for any follow-up. They issued a statement on March 9 to explain precisely what had happened,” Price commented

Indian Defence Minister’s statement

The Indian government Tuesday informed the parliament that a formal "high-level inquiry" has been ordered into the March 9 incident of the "inadvertent" release of a missile from India into Pakistan's territory.

India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the accident happened during routine maintenance and inspection at around 7 pm. Stressing that the government attached "highest priority" to the safety and security of weapons systems, he assured the house that the missile system is "very reliable and safe".

"It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident," he said.

The Minister said that the government has "taken serious note" of the incident and ordered a formal high-level inquiry. The inquiry would determine the exact cause of the accident. 

On precautionary measures to ensure such incidents can be prevented in the future, he said that a review of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for operations, maintenance and inspections is being conducted in the wake of this incident. 

"We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified. I can assure the House that the missile system is very reliable and safe," he claimed.

Last week, India admitted it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan and ordered a high-level court of inquiry into the incident that could have led to anything between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

"On March 9, 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile," read a statement issued by the Indian defence ministry in New Delhi.

"The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry," it further said.

In response to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office said, “Pakistan calls upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearised environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region.”