FO rejects India's 'purported closure' of inquiry into missile accidentally fired into Pakistan

Published August 24, 2022
The Foreign Office rejects India’s inquiry into March 9 missile firing. — File photo
The Foreign Office rejects India’s inquiry into March 9 missile firing. — File photo

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India’s "purported closure" of the inquiry into accidental firing of a supersonic missile into the country on March 9, 2022, reiterating the demand for a joint probe into the incident.

Yesterday, the Indian Air Force said the government had sacked three officers involved in the firing.

"A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile," it said in a statement.

The BrahMos missile — a nuclear-capable, land-attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India — was fired earlier this year, prompting Pakistan to seek answers from New Delhi on the safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidental launches.

In a statement today, Foreign Officer (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that it had seen India’s announcement of the findings regarding the incident and the decision to terminate the services of three officers reportedly found responsible for the reckless incident.

"As expected, the measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident and the subsequent findings and punishments handed by the so-called internal Court of Inquiry are totally unsatisfactory, deficient, and inadequate."

The spokesperson claimed that India had not only failed to respond to Pakistan's demand for a joint inquiry but also evaded the questions raised by the country regarding the command and control system in place in India, the safety and security protocols, and the reason for its delayed admission of the Missile launch.

"Systemic loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in the handling of strategic weapons cannot be covered up beneath the veneer of individual human error," he said, asserting that if the neighbouring had nothing to hide then it must accept Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe in the "spirit of transparency".

The FO spokesperson called India's action over the March 9 firing "imprudent", pointing out that it had jeopardized the peace and security environment of the entire region.

"Pakistan’s demonstration of exemplary restraint is a testament to our systemic maturity and abiding commitment to peace as a responsible nuclear state," he said.

The FO reiterated that Pakistan wanted the Indian government to immediately provide specific responses to the queries raised after the incident and accede to its call for a joint probe.

Opinion

Editorial

Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...
Spoiler alert
17 Jun, 2026

Spoiler alert

AFTER the temporary peace deal between the US and Iran is physically signed in Geneva on Friday, an arduous process...
Storm-tested cities
17 Jun, 2026

Storm-tested cities

THE deaths caused by the latest spell of monsoon rains in KP and Punjab illustrate how quickly severe weather can...
Chakwal tragedy
17 Jun, 2026

Chakwal tragedy

A NINE-year-old girl is dead because a Punjab Crime Control Department gunman mistook her family’s car for a...