“As part of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile” on Wednesday and it landed in “an area of Pakistan,” the ministry said in a statement. “The fact that there was no loss of life as a result of the accident is a relief,” he added.
The Ministry of Defense did not say what type of missile it was, but said a high-level investigation had been launched.
India, a predominantly Hindu country, and Pakistan, a Muslim country, have fought three wars since the end of British colonization in 1947, two of which over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
The two countries maintain a strong military presence on both sides of their common border and flare-ups of tension have gone so far as to give rise to fears of nuclear confrontation.
The statement from the Indian Ministry of Defense comes hours following the Pakistani Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an “unjustified violation” of Pakistani airspace “by a + supersonic flying object + of Indian origin”.
The Pakistani ministry added that it had summoned India’s charge d’affaires in Islamabad, who was told “a firm protest”.
The ‘reckless firing’ damaged buildings on the ground and endangered civilian lives as well as planes in Pakistani airspace, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry added, accusing India of being ‘insensitive towards peace and regional stability”.
