ISLAMABAD, March 12 (AsiaFreePress): Pakistan has called upon the international community to take serious notice of Indian missile incident and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region.
In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in Indian handling of strategic weapons.
He said Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory.
The Spokesperson said Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident. He said given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to counter measures in self-defence with grave consequences.
Asim Iftikhar said grave nature of the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorized launch of missiles in a nuclearized environment.
The spokesperson said India must explain the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident.
He said India needs to clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistani territory.
Asim Iftikhar asked India to explain the flight path of the accidently launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into Pakistan. He asked was the missile equipped with self-destruct mechanism and why did it fail to actualize.
The spokesperson said why India failed to immediately inform Pakistan about accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge till after Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification.
He said given the profound level of incompetence, India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elements.
