US says no indication that firing of missile from India into Pakistan was ‘anything other than accidental’

India had earlier said it was a ‘matter of relief that there has been no loss of life’ from the incident

People work around what Pakistani security sources say is the remains of a missile fired into Pakistan from India, near Mian Channu, Pakistan, March 9 (Pakistani security sources/Handout via Reuters)

Days after India said it had mistakenly fired a missile that landed in Pakistan, the US State Department has said that there is “no indication” that the “incident was anything other than an accident”.

“We have no indication as you also heard from our Indian partners that this incident was anything other than an accident,” Ned Price, the spokesperson for the State Department, said on Monday.

“We refer you of course to the Indian Ministry of Defense for any follow-up. They issued a statement on 9 March to explain precisely what had happened. We don’t have a comment beyond that,” he added.

A super-sonic missile had been launched from Indian airspace, violating Pakistani airspace in the incident that took place on 9 March, Pakistan had said in a statement two days later.

India had then responded on 12 March, saying the accident was “regrettable” and that it was caused by a technical malfunction during the course of routine maintenance.

The country said it was “a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident”.

Pakistan had warned its neighbour to be “mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence”.

On Tuesday, India’s federal defence minister Rajnath Singh said the country’s missile systems were “very reliable and safe” after concern over the accidental firing of the supersonic missile last week.

Mr Singh also confirmed that a formal inquiry into the accident was ordered to determine the cause of the firing. He also said that any shortcomings would be fixed immediately.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi rejected India’s statement on Tuesday, saying it was “incomplete”.

The foreign ministry had said the firing had damaged some civilian property in a residential area in its Punjab province and that it could have led to the loss of life and “endangered several domestic and international flights within Pakistan’s airspace”.

“The grave nature of the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against the accidental or unauthorised launch of missiles in a nuclearised environment,” the foreign ministry said.

Pakistan has also raised this issue with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and demanded that the international community, including the UN Security Council, address the situation.