Following India's accidental firing of a missile that landed in Pakistan, the neighbouring country also prepared to launch a similar missile in a retaliatory strike, reports claimed on Wednesday. According to Bloomberg, Pakistan held back because an initial assessment indicated something was amiss.
Last week, India admitted that it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan on March 9 and that the "deeply regrettable" incident was caused by a technical malfunction in the course of its routine maintenance.
The defence ministry said the government has taken a serious view of the incident and ordered a 'Court of Enquiry' into it, a day after Pakistan said a high-speed projectile launched from India entered its airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district.
Though the ministry did not specify the name of the missile, the description given by the Pakistan military indicated that it could be a Brahmos missile.
Pakistan had summoned India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad and conveyed its strong protest over the "unprovoked" violation of its airspace by the supersonic "projectile" of Indian origin.
On Tuesday, while making a statement in Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has taken serious note of the incident, and a formal high-level inquiry has been ordered which will determine the exact cause of the incident.
"During routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 pm. 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," the minister said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has rejected India's explanation as "incomplete and insufficient" and demanded a joint investigation into the incident.
“What the Indian defence minister had said in the Lok Sabha is incomplete and insufficient. It is not enough to satisfy Pakistan. I reject that and demand a joint probe,” Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
According to a report by the Express Tribune, Pakistan is contemplating different options in case India refuses to agree on a joint probe into a missile fiasco. The official said Pakistan has been in touch with relevant countries and has already briefed the permanent members of the UN Security Council about the gravity of the situation, the report said.
