Sources in the Indian defence establishment have said that they are looking into the claims made by the Pakistan officials about a missile without a warhead landing in their territory and airspace.
Even as Corps Commanders talks between India and China are taking place on the Indian side of Chushul Moldo Meeting Point, late Thursday (March 10, 2022), Pakistan claimed that an Indian supersonic missile had landed on its soil. Response from the Ministry of External Affairs is expected later in the day to the claims made by Pakistan. So far there is no official word either from the Indian Air Force (IAF) or the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Sources in the Indian defence establishment have said that they are looking into the claims made by the Pakistan officials about a missile without a warhead landing in their territory and airspace.
Pakistan summons India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad
On Friday, Pakistan Foreign office summoned India’s CDA and lodged a protest over what it terms as unprovoked violation of its airspace. In a statement it has warned New Delhi of “unpleasant consequences’’ over what it claims was an Indian originated, but unidentified high-altitude supersonic object that crashed in its territory.
In its statement it has urged India to take effective measures to avoid such violations in the future.
What is Pakistan blaming India about?
Major General Babar Iftikhar, Director General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of PakistaniArmed Forces said at a press conference that at 1843 hours on March 9, 2022, “A high-speed flying object was picked up inside Indian flying territory by Air Defence Operations Centre of the Pakistani Air Force.”
The missile he said was cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet and endangered passenger flights in both Indian and Pakistani airspace, and also civilians and property on the ground. According to reports quoting Pakistan officials, the unarmed supersonic missile that landed on its soil near Mia Channu had taken off from Sirsa located in Haryana and was headed towards the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, however, somehow it veered towards Pakistan westwards.
According to reports the neighbouring Pakistan also claimed that a wall fell, and there were no human casualties and no sensitive installations are located in that area.
2005 Agreement
On October 3, 2005, India and Pakistan signed an agreement about pre-notification of flight testing of ballistic missiles. The agreement states that both countries have to notify the other at least three days in advance about the flight test it is planning to undertake – this could be land or sea launched missiles or surface to surface.
And it has also specified in the agreement that the launch sites should not fall within 40 km from either side of the International Boundary (IB) or the Line of Control (LoC) and the planned impact area should not be within 75 kms.
Pakistan protests
Media reports quoting Major General Iftikhar said that Pakistan has “initiated requisite tactical actions in accordance” with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). “Whatever caused this incident to happen, it’s for the Indians to explain,” he said.
Pakistan “strongly protests this flagrant violation and cautions against recurrence of any such incident in future”, he added.
According to the spokesperson for Pakistan Air Force Tariq Zia the object “was picked up at a high-altitude of 40,000 feet and was traveling at a speeding axis of Mach 2.5 and ultimately Mach 3.”
“The total distance it travelled inside Pakistan was 124 km, and from the total flight time of 6minute 46 seconds till it hit the ground, it was in Pakistani territory for 3minutes and 44 seconds,” the spokesperson of the Pakistan Air Force said.
He also said that the object which was picked is being analysed forensically, and the initial study indicates though unarmed, it was a surface-to-surface supersonic missile.
Was it a BrahMos Missile?
According to sources, the description fits that of the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic missile and the fact that the Pakistani officials saying that there were no warheads means it was just a test firing.
There is no official word from anyone whether it was BrahMos supersonic missile or not.
