On Thursday night, DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar held a press conference to reveal that India launched a supersonic flying object which violated the country’s airspace and endangered civilian lives on March 9. Reports reveal that the object was launched from Sirsa in the Indian state of Haryana and fell in Mian Channu in Pakistan’s Khanewal district. Thankfully, the incident did not result in any loss of life as there was no payload on the missile.
What we know so far is that the object had deviated towards Pakistan from its initial course before falling into its territory. Given how concerning an incident this is and how it could have triggered something a lot more serious, the DG ISPR should be commended for the professional manner in which the press conference was conducted. It took the Indian defence ministry two days to fess up to this incident, terming it a ‘technical malfunction’ and issuing an apology to Pakistan for the accidental incursion.
Experts are claiming that it was a supersonic missile, and that the Indians were most likely testing the next generation Brahmos missile. Regardless of these details, this incident illustrates India’s disregard for aviation safety and reflects very poorly on their technological prowess and procedural efficiency.
This negligence could have endangered lives on both sides of the border, and could have also resulted in a major aviation disaster. The fact that this lapse comes from a nuclear power and ended up with a missile launched in its adversary’s backyard, should entail a serious investigation into New Delhi’s nuclear and general missile protocols.
Now that the military has shared the relevant details of the incident, this matter should be taken up at the Foreign Office and DGMO level. India must come clean like a responsible actor and give an explanation of what caused this violation of international borders. It is honestly alarming for a nuclear power to have such lax mechanisms and India must reflect on how its neglectful behaviour could have very well triggered a war in the region.
Source: Published in The Nation