The defence ministry on Tuesday terminated the services of three Indian Air Force officials for the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile that landed in Pakistan, PTI reported.
On March 9, Islamabad had said that a high-speed Indian projectile had entered its airspace and crashed near Mian Channu city in Khanewal district, damaging some civilian property.
India’s defence ministry had described the incident as “deeply regrettable” and said that the accidental firing took place due to a “technical malfunction” during a routine maintenance operation.
On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force said that a Court of Inquiry formed to look into the matter found that the firing happened as the three officers deviated from the standard operating procedure.
“These three officers have primarily been held responsible for the incident,” the Air Force said, according to ANI. “Their services have been terminated by the central government with immediate effect. Termination orders have been served upon the officers on August 23.”
A day after the accidental firing, Islamabad had summoned India’s envoy in Pakistan and sought a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.
The Pakistan foreign ministry had said that there could not be a “simplistic explanation” for such a grave incident and demanded that both countries conduct a joint investigation to “accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident”.
The ministry had also raised a series of questions for India to answer, including why India had failed to inform Pakistan immediately about the accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge it till Pakistan raised alarm and sought clarification from New Delhi.
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