Highlights
- An accidental firing was reported in Pakistan territory on March 9 this year.
- Taking action, India terminated three IAF officers on August 23.
- Pakistan has rejected this action taken and has redemanded a joint probe.
Indian Pakistan news: An accidental firing was reported in Pakistan territory coming from India on March 9 this year. After this, the services of three officers of the Indian Air Force were terminated on August 23 after a Court of Inquiry (CoI) found that deviation from their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by them led to the accidental firing of the missile. However, Pakistan is not satisfied with the action taken and called it "inadequate". Rejecting India's action, Pakistan has yet again demanded a joint probe in the matter.
The Foreign Office in a statement said Pakistan has seen India's announcement of the findings of an internal CoI regarding the "incident of the firing of a rogue supersonic missile" into its territory and the decision to terminate the services of three IAF officers reportedly found responsible for the reckless incident. "Pakistan categorically rejects India's purported closure of the highly irresponsible incident and reiterates its demand for a joint probe," it said.
"As expected, the measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident and the subsequent findings and punishments handed by the so-called internal Court of Inquiry are totally unsatisfactory, deficient, and inadequate." It alleged that India has not only failed to respond to Pakistan's demand for a joint inquiry but has also evaded the questions raised by Pakistan regarding the command and control system in place in India, the safety and security protocols, and the "reason for India's delayed admission of the missile launch".
It said systemic loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in the handling of strategic weapons "cannot be covered up beneath the veneer of individual human error". "If indeed India has nothing to hide, it must accept Pakistan's demand for a joint probe in the spirit of transparency," it demanded.
Pakistan reiterated its demand that the Indian government must immediately provide specific responses to the queries raised by Islamabad after the incident and accedes to its call for a joint probe.
(With PTI Inputs)
