ISLAMABAD: The foreign office summoned the charge d’affaires of India in Islamabad on Thursday to convey Pakistan’s ‘strong protest’ over an Indian-origin ‘super-sonic flying object’ entering its airspace.
Pakistan’s military on Thursday said an unarmed surface-to-surface missile launched from neighboring India violated Pakistan’s airspace and ended up in eastern Punjab province on Wednesday, damaging a wall in a residential area but causing no casualties.
Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, the head of the army’s media wing, protested over the “flagrant violation” and demanded an explanation from India. There was no immediate comment from New Delhi.
In a statement released on Thursday night, the foreign office said the flying object “entered into Pakistan from ‘Suratgarh’ India at 1843 hrs. (PST) on 9 March2022 and fell to ground near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistan at around 1850 hrs. the same day causing damage to civilian property.”
“The Indian diplomat was conveyed that the imprudent launch of the flying object not only caused damage to civilian property but also put at risk human lives on ground,” the statement said. “Besides, the flight path of the flying object endangered several domestic/international flights within Pakistani airspace and could have resulted in a serious aviation accident as well as civilian casualties.”
The Indian charge d’affaires was told to convey to the Indian government Pakistan’s “strong condemnation” of the violation of Pakistani airspace “in contravention of the established international norms and Aviation safety protocols.” Pakistan also called for a transparent investigation into the incidents, saying the outcome must be shared with Pakistan.
Speaking at a news conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Gen Iftikar said on Thursday Pakistan’s air force tracked the missile from its launch at an Indian facility and throughout its more than three-minute-long flight inside Pakistan’s airspace, Iftikar said.
Iftikar said there were no sensitive military installations in the area where the missile landed.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations mainly over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between them and claimed by both in its entirety. Since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, the nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.
Ties between them were further strained in 2019 when Pakistan’s air force shot down an Indian warplane in the section of Kashmir governed by Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and captured a pilot in response to an airstrike by Indian aircraft targeting militants in the northwestern town of Balakot inside Pakistan.
India at the time said its airstrikes targeted Pakistan-based militants responsible for a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan later released the pilot.
