India’s ‘accidental’ missile firing could have acted as ‘trigger’, says military’s top brass
RAWALPINDI: The Corps Commanders’ Conference warned that the “accidental” firing of a missile by India could have acted as a “trigger” that would have “seriously” endangered regional peace and strategic stability.According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa chaired the 248th Corps Commanders’ Conference at the General
Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military’s media wing said that the forum was given a Comprehensive briefing on important global and regional developments, the internal security situation in the country, and progress on the western border management regime. The ISPR said that the country’s top military brass expressed “concern” regarding recent “accidental missile firing” by New Delhi. The conference was of the view that the accident, as claimed by India, could have resulted in a major disaster. The forum emphasized that despite New Delhi’s acknowledgment of the incident, “relevant international forums must take a serious view of the incident and subject the safety and security protocols of Indian strategic assets to deliberate oversight”. “Such dangerous incidents can act as a trigger and seriously endanger regional peace and strategic stability,” said the forum.“On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the Indian government had said in a statement. The statement came a day after Director-General of ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar revealed that an Indian projectile had entered the Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, causing some damage to the surrounding areas. Briefing journalists about the incident, the DG ISPR had said: “At 6:43pm [on Wednesday], a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by the Air Defence Operation Centre of the Pakistan Airforce.” “From its initial course, the object suddenly manoeuvred towards the Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s airspace [before] ultimately falling near Mian Channu at 6:50pm.” He had said that when the projectile fell, it damaged some civilian property. “Thankfully, no loss or injury to human life was caused.” Apart from India’s “accidental” missile firing, the conference also reviewed the internal situation of the country. The ISPR said that the army chief lauded the successful ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the country. The forum also expressed resolve to take all requisite measures to ensure the security of the country. The military’s media wing said that the army chief directed that comprehensive security measures should be taken for the “peaceful conduct” of the OIC Council of foreign ministers meeting and Pakistan Day parade. “COAS appreciated operational preparedness of the formations and emphasised mission-oriented training,” said the ISPR.
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Office of the Spokesperson)
Press Release
No. 115/2022 | Islamabad | 12 March 2022
*Indian Official Acceptance of Accidental Firing of Missile*
We have taken note of the Press Statement by the Indian Press Information Bureau’s Defence Wing regretting the “accidental firing” of the Indian origin missile into Pakistani territory on 9 March 2022 due to “technical malfunction” and decision to hold an internal Court of Inquiry.
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. 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.
India needs to clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistani territory.
India also needs to explain the flight path/trajectory of the accidently 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?
Are Indian missiles kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance? Why did India fail to immediately inform Pakistan about accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge till after Pakistan 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 whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in 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. Pakistani officials said the missile was unarmed and had crashed near the country’s eastern city of Mian Channu, about 500 km (310 miles) from capital Islamabad.
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Pakistan does not believe in camp Politics (COAS) Gen. Bajwa
(By Muhammad Anis | April 02, 2022)
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said Pakistan does not believe in camp politics and seeks to expand and broaden its relations with both China and the United States.
General Bajwa said that Pakistan enjoys close and strategic cooperation with China demonstrated by the two countries’ commitment to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. He said Pakistan equally shares a long history of excellent and strategic relationship with the US which remains our largest export market. “We want to broaden relations with both China and the United States without impacting ties with the other,” the COAS categorically maintained. Similarly, he said that European Union, United Kingdom, Gulf, South East Asia, and Japan were also vital for Pakistan’s national development.
He pointed out that Pakistan was also deeply concerned over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “We have defence relations with Ukraine and after a cold period of relations with Russia, there have been some positive developments. Recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia is unfortunate as thousands of people have been killed and half of Ukraine is destroyed,” he said. “Despite legitimate security concerns of Russia, its aggression against a smaller country cannot be condoned. Pakistan has consistently called for an immediate cease-fire and cessation of hostilities,” Gen Bajwa said. “We also call for dialogue between all sides to find a lasting solution,” he said, adding that the continuation of conflict in Ukraine would not serve the interests of any side. Pakistan had already dispatched humanitarian assistance through special PAF flights and will continue to do so. General Bajwa said Pakistan continues to believe in using diplomacy and dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues with India including the Kashmir dispute. Gen Bajwa said Pakistan continues to work closely with the international community to pursue peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said it is the collective responsibility of the Afghan people to ensure timely and adequate humanitarian aid flows into the country. He warned that the consequences of the inability to address the humanitarian crisis will lead to the refugee crisis and will again make Afghanistan an epicentre of terrorism. Acknowledging the efforts of the National Security Division in organising the second security dialogue, General Bajwa said: “I believe today more than ever we need to inculcate and promote such spaces for intellectual debate and discourse where people from around the world come together to share their ideas about the future of their country and world at large.” “Pakistan, as a country located at the crossroads of economic and strategic confronts, is navigating these shared challenges in our immediate region and through our partnership in the international community,” he said. The COAS mentioned that to achieve this required peace at home and abroad, Pakistan’s security forces given innumerable sacrifices to defeat terrorism. He highlighted that since 2001 Pakistan has suffered over 90,000 causalities and more than Rs150 billion in economic losses.(Source:TheNews International)
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World should acknowledge Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace: Chines FM
(News Desk ) March 24, 2022
State Counsellor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, in a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, said that the world should acknowledge Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and stability, the military said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security and measures to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation were discussed. The Chinese foreign minister said that the Pakistan-China relationship is based on the convergence of views and mutual respect. Appreciating the professionalism of the Pakistan Army, Wang Yi said that the world should acknowledge Pakistan’s efforts towards regional peace and stability. He appreciated the security provided to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying “China believes in inclusive prosperity”. Referring to OIC’s 48th Council of Foreign Ministers session, according to the ISPR, the COAS termed it a historic development for addressing the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and bringing the international community to a shared vision and joint strategy to find solutions to emerging challenges in the region vital for peace and stability. General Qamar also thanked the foreign minister for his visit and continued Chinese support to Pakistan. The visiting dignitary also appreciated Pakistan’s role in regional stability and pledged to play his role for further improvements in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels. He especially appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in hosting the OIC’s 48th Council of Foreign Ministers
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US, China call for direct Pakistan-India talks
By: Anwar Iqbal – (March 15, 2022)
WASHINGTON: The United States and China urged India and Pakistan to hold direct talks for reducing tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. “We continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern,” said a US State Department official when asked if the United States would urge India and Pakistan to hold direct talks on the recent missile incident and other issues. Earlier, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry supported Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe into the incident and emphasized the need for direct talks between the two neighbours on all issues. “We called on relevant countries to have dialogue and communication as soon as possible and launch a thorough investigation into this incident,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. He also urged India and Pakistan to “strengthen information sharing and establish a notification mechanism in time to avoid the recurrence of such incidents and to prevent miscalculation”. American and Chinese officials speak about recent intrusion of Indian missile into Pakistani airspace The Chinese official said that Pakistan and India were “both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability”. India acknowledged earlier this week that on March 9, 2022, “a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile” into Pakistani territory. Pakistan, however, said that it was not satisfied with New Delhi’s “simplistic explanation” and demanded a joint probe to establish the facts surrounding the incident. An Indian media report said that an unarmed, practice-version of the BrahMos supersonic missile was accidentally fired into Pakistan during an inspection at a secret satellite base of the Indian Air Force. Quoting sources in the Indian defence ministry, the report claimed that the missile followed the trajectory that it would have in case of a conflict, but “certain factors” played a role in ensuring that any pre-fed target was out of danger. The report said that since it was “a practice missile”, it had no warheads. The report also claimed that India informed Pakistan about this “accidental firing” soon after it happened. Pakistan, however, says that India failed to immediately inform Islamabad about the accidental launch, and waited until after the Inter-Services Public Relations announced the incident and sought clarification from New Delhi. (Source: Dawn News)
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Pakistan, Barrick to restart Reko Diq gold, copper project as dispute ends
(22-3-2022) Pakistan has reached an out-of-court deal with a foreign firm that has agreed to waive $11 billion in penalties and revive a mining project stalled since 2011, officials said. “The agreement has nullified the award of around $11 billion on us and secondly Barrick and its partners will invest $10 billion,” Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said during a press conference on Sunday. “It will benefit Pakistan and Balochistan for the next 100 years,” he added. The consortium Tethyan Copper company of which Canadian gold firm Barrick and Chile’s Antofagasta Minerals control 37.5 percent each had found vast gold and copper deposits at Reko Diq in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The hugely lucrative open-pit mine project came to a standstill in 2011 after the local government refused to renew Tethyan Copper’s lease, and in 2013 Pakistan’s top court declared it invalid. In 2019, the World Bank’s arbitration tribunal committee imposed a 5.8 billion penalty on Pakistan for unlawful denial of mining. After a decade-long legal battle, Pakistani officials announced the out-of-court settlement with Barrick Gold. End to ‘crippling debt’ Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the project “will potentially be the largest gold & copper mine in the world”. “It will liberate us from crippling debt & usher in a new era of development & prosperity,” he said in a statement. Balochistan which borders Iran and Afghanistan is Pakistan’s poorest province, despite its abundance of natural resources.Mining in Balochistan is dominated by small companies focused primarily on marble and granite, experts have said, which waste up to 80-percent of potential yield because of poor extraction techniques. The country is fighting several low-level insurgencies in the province, waged by militants, separatist and sectarian groups.In recent weeks separatists have stepped up attacks with a series of bold raids on state security bases. Best deal for Balochistan province Legal expert Osama Malik told AFP news agency that Pakistan’s settlement was the only solution and best deal for the provincial Balochistan government.”There were no further appeals available for the Pakistani side. The country also didn’t have the resources to pay the exorbitant damages, one of the highest ever granted by the World Bank’s arbitration forum,” he said.After reconstitution of the project, Barrick will own 50 percent, the Pakistan federal government enterprises 25 percent, and the Balochistan government 25 percent.(Source: AFP)