Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said Pakistan could have responded to India after its missile landed in his country's Punjab province but it observed restraint. On March 9, an unarmed Indian supersonic missile entered Pakistani territory, endangering several airliners during the course of its flight before hitting a private property (cold storage) near Mian Channu, some 275-km from Lahore. No loss of life was reported.
Speaking for the first time on the incident, Prime Minister Khan said, "We could have responded after an Indian missile fell in Mian Channu but we observed restraint." He was addressing a public rally in Punjab's Hafizabad district on Sunday afternoon in the face of a no-confidence motion moved against him by the joint opposition. Khan also talked about the country's defence preparedness, saying "we have to make our defence and country strong."
Earlier, Pakistan's Foreign Office on Saturday said it was not satisfied with India's "simplistic explanation" on the "accidental firing" of a missile that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province and demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident.
