India “accidentally” fires missile at Pakistan

India has claimed that it fired a missile at Pakistan “accidentally” on March 9 due to a “technical malfunction”.

The Indian Ministry of Defence in New Delhi claimed that the missile had been fired at Pakistan “accidentally”, calling the incident “deeply regrettable”. India, a predominantly Hindu country, and Pakistan, predominantly Muslim, have fought three wars since the former British colony’s independence in 1947, two of which have been over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

The border between the two countries is heavily militarised on both sides, and there have been episodes of tension that have sparked raised fears of a conflict between two states that are known to have nuclear weapons. “On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” said the ministry in a statement. It went on: “It is learned that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident.” It did not specify the type of missile fired.

The statement came hours after Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called an “unprovoked violation of its airspace” and warned India “to be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence and take effective measures to avoid the recurrence of such violations in future.”

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