Rajnath Singh added that security procedures and protocols are “of the highest standard”.
New Delhi:
The Indian government today informed parliament that a ‘high-level formal investigation’ has been ordered into the March 9 incident of India’s ‘inadvertent’ launch of a missile into Pakistani territory. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the accident happened during routine maintenance and inspection around 7 p.m. Stressing that the government attaches “the highest priority” to the safety and security of weapons systems, he assured the House that the missile system is “very reliable and safe”.
“It was later learned that the missile landed inside Pakistani territory. Although this incident is regretted, we are relieved that no one was injured as a result of the accident,” he said. .
The minister said the government had “taken serious note” of the incident and ordered a high-level official investigation. The investigation would determine the exact cause of the accident.
On precautionary measures to ensure that such incidents can be avoided in the future, he said a review of standard operating procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections was underway following this incident.
“We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapons systems. If any deficiencies are discovered, they will be corrected immediately. I can assure the House that the missile system is highly reliable and secure,” did he declare.
Mr Singh added that security procedures and protocols are “of the highest standard” and are revised from time to time. “Our armed forces are well trained and disciplined and have good experience in managing such systems,” he said.
India said on Friday it accidentally fired a missile two days ago that landed in Pakistan and the “deeply regrettable” incident was caused by a technical malfunction during its routine maintenance.
On March 9, an unarmed Indian supersonic missile entered Pakistani territory and hit a cold store near Mian Channu, about 275 km from Lahore. No loss of life was reported.
While Pakistan cried foul saying it was unhappy with India’s ‘simplistic explanation’ and demanded a joint investigation, the United States said there was no indication that it was more than accidental.
“We have no indication, because you also heard from our Indian partners that this incident was anything other than an accident,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday at his briefing. daily Press.
