By Mashal Khan

ISLAMABAD (TSAT) - Pakistan on Saturday demanded from India for joint probe of a recent missile incident after New Delhi accepted that its missile “accidentally fire” entered Pakistan airspace.

In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Ministry raised several questions about loopholes and technical lapses of India handling nuclear, strategic weapons. 

“The grave nature of the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorized launch of missiles in a nuclearized environment,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry.

“Such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities. Some of the questions that need to be answered include.”

 “India must explain the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident.” The ministry asked. 

Islamabad urged India needs to clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in their territory.

“India also needs to explain the flight path/ trajectory of the accidentally launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into Pakistan?.”

“Was the missile equipped with self-destruct mechanism? Why did it fail to actualize?” the ministry questioned. 

The ministry added that “are Indian missiles kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance?.

Pakistan also inquired why India failed to immediately inform Islamabad about the accidental launch of the missile and they waited to acknowledge it till after Pakistan Army announced the incident and sought clarification?

“Given the profound level of incompetence, India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elements?” The statement read. 

The ministry further added that the whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in the Indian handling of strategic weapons.

 “Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory. Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident,” they demanded. 

Islamabad warned that given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to countermeasures in self-defense with grave consequences. 

“Pakistan, therefore, calls upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearized environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region,” the ministry statement concluded. 

On Friday, India regretted over missile fire that entered Pakistan airspace and called it was a "technical malfunction".

In a statement, Indian Defense Ministry said the government of India has taken serious notice and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry into a missile that entered into Pakistan.

“The incident is deeply regrettable, but it is a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident,” said the ministry. 

However, Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said India's incidentally missile fire has raised serious questions over the safety of its nuclear weapons.

In a statement, Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said the Indian move was highly irresponsible that even New Delhi didn’t inform his country immediately that an inadvertent launch of a cruise missile had taken place.

“In a nuclear environment, such callousness & ineptitude raises questions about the safety & security of Indian weapon systems. Already, there have been multiple incidents of uranium theft in India and its citizens have even been arrested while smuggling uranium in the recent past,” Yusuf said.

“It is hard to believe anything this Indian government says,” said Yusuf and demanded an international investigation to dig out the real circumstances surrounding this incident before something more happened intentionally.

He also criticized the international community's silence over the situation in South Asia and said its an “alarm’ for the whole world.