India accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan, Mian Chunnu

ISLAMABAD: An Indian court ruling on Friday ordered a high-level investigation into an incident last week in which a missile was accidentally fired into Pakistan and could have sparked a major crisis between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said a technical malfunction in the course of a routine maintenance led to the accidental firing of a missile on March 9.

“The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry,” it further says.

According to the communiqué, “the missile landed in Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that no lives were lost during the accident.”

An unarmed “high-speed object” was fired from India’s Sirsa area into Pakistan on Wednesday, ending up in Punjab province’s Mian Chunnu. The Indian government’s explanation came a day after the DG ISPR revealed at a news conference that it landed in Mian Chunnu. Initially, it was believed to be a plane crash.

Read more: Indian Projectile enters in Pakistani airspace in Mian Channu: DG ISPR