The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), India, expresses its grave concern over the events surrounding the mislaunch of an Indian unarmed supersonic cruise missile that landed in Pakistani territory at around 07.20 pm IST on 09 March 2022.
The accident was first brought to light by the Pakistani military establishment through a press conference on the following day (10 March). However, it was only about 48 hours after the incident that the Indian Defence Ministry, through a press statement, chose to confirm the incident describing it as accidental and terming it “deeply regrettable”.
News reports suggest that, since India did not alert Pakistan promptly about the mislaunch as per agreed norms, Pakistani forces initially prepared for a retaliatory strike. However, fortunately, saner heads appear to have prevailed, who recognised that the intrusion into their territory by a flying object was likely not deliberate. That the accident fortunately did not cause any loss of life or strike any military installation also must have helped.
This incident, regardless, exemplifies the perpetually present dangers of a devastating war, between the two nuclear-armed countries.
The CNDP, therefore, demands that the Government of India, as the first step, provide a credible explanation regarding the mislaunch and about its failure to alert the Pakistani Government immediately thereafter in violation of agreed norms.
We also urge the governments of India and Pakistan to immediately work out credible and effective confidence building measures (CBMs), revive the multiple channels of communication to avoid any misunderstandings and set up a functioning joint monitoring mechanism to avert the possibility of a disaster arising out of any accident in future.
Achin Vanaik
Lalita Ramdas
Arun Mitra
N D Jayaprakash
Suvrat Raju
Sukla Sen
March 18 2022
