ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday urged the international community to take notice of the recent violation of Pakistani airspace by an Indian-origin “supersonic flying object”, as Pakistan also plans to brief ambassadors of permanent five (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council on the incident.
The foreign minister stated this in a statement a day after Foreign Office summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires and conveyed Pakistan’s strong protest over the unprovoked violation of its airspace by an Indian origin “supersonic flying object” which entered into Pakistan from “Suratgarh” India at 1843 hrs (PST) on 9th March 2022 and fell to ground near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistan at around 1850 hrs.
“This is for the second time India has been violating Pakistan’s airspace following Balakot incident of February 2019. Whether we call this move as India’s technical failure, aggression or malice,” he said, adding that Pakistan gave a well-thought-out response to India’s 2019 aggression.
He said that Pakistan by summoning the top Indian diplomat has already lodged a strong protest with New Delhi over the violation of Pakistan’s airspace for yet another time. He said that the Indian act put at stake the lives of innocent lives and civil aviation authorities should take note of it.
He pointed out that the aircrafts of Saudi Airline and Qatar Airline as well as domestic flights of Pakistan could become target of the “flying object”.
“We have decided to invite the envoys of P-5 countries at the Foreign Office and apprise them about the whole situation. We hope that the international community to take notice and hold India accountable for this act”, he added.
The foreign minister further said that Pakistan will decide its “future strategy” after the Indian explanation on the matter, adding that Pakistan does not want aggression rather wants cordial relations with all its neighbours including India. He, however, said Pakistan is capable of defending itself.
He recalled that India resorted to aggression against Pakistan on 26th February 2019, regretting international community’s silence on it out of expediency.
“We have also presented before the world through a dossier about the Indian involvement in the acts of terrorism in Pakistan. We exposed the true face of India before the world”, he added.
Meanwhile, through a statement on Friday, the Indian Ministry of Defence “regretted” the incident and termed this as a “technical malfunction”, which led to the accidental firing of a missile.
“On 9th March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry. It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident”, the Indian Ministry of Defence stated in the statement.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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