Indian defence minister admits serious shortcomings in Missile Defence system operations
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NEW DELHI – The Indian government is reviewing its procedures for operations, maintenance, and inspection of weapons systems days after firing a missile into Pakistan, Minister of Defence of India Rajnath Singh said while addressing parliament on Tuesday.
Singh, a close aide of Indian PM Modi, said India accidentally released a missile, which landed in Pakistan at about 7 pm during routine maintenance and inspection without causing any casualties.
He mentioned the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems, saying that if any shortcoming is found, it would be immediately corrected.
Singh continued saying that a high-level inquiry into the accident is underway. “I can assure the House that the missile system is very reliable and safe,” he added, without mentioning which missile had been accidentally launched.
The Indian minister also claimed that Indian forces are ‘well-trained and disciplined’ and are well ‘experienced’ in handling such systems however, he did not explain why they failed to inform on March 9.
Islamabad has already lodged a strong protest to New Delhi, summoning its Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad. It has also sent seven questions to India, calling on New Delhi to come clean about the incident.
India admitted firing the missile as tensions between the two nuclear states calmed in recent months. Islamabad also reacted with a low-key response to what the Modi administration termed as a “technical malfunction.”
A Pakistan foreign office statement said it was an “irresponsible incident,” reflecting India’s “disregard for air safety and callousness towards regional peace and stability.”
