India sent a missile to Pakistan that did not cause any casualties, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Friday, March 11, calling this act “deeply regrettable.”
“As part of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to an accidental launch of a rocket on Wednesday, and it landed in the Pakistan area,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The fact that there were no fatalities in the accident is a relief,” he added. The Ministry of Defense does not specify what kind of missile it was, but they say that a high-level investigation has been launched.
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“Unreasonable Violation”
India, a predominantly Hindu country, and Pakistan, a Muslim country, have fought three wars since the end of British colonization in 1947, including two over the disputed territory of Kashmir. The two countries maintain a strong military presence on both sides of their common border, and tensions have gone so far as to raise fears of a nuclear confrontation.
The Indian Defense Ministry’s announcement came just hours after 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 the charge d’affaires of India in Islamabad, who was “strongly protested”. The “reckless shooting” damaged buildings on the ground and endangered civilian lives and aircraft in Pakistani airspace, the Pakistani foreign ministry added, accusing India of “insensitive attitude to peace” and regional stability.