PremiumChina asks both the countries to step up information sharing, and promptly establish a reporting mechanism so that such incidents will not happen again, and misunderstanding and misjudgement can be avoided
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In the wake of the "accidental firing" of a missile from India, China has said India and Pakistan should hold talks as soon as possible over the matter. Reacting to the development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a media briefing that both Pakistan and India are responsible nations in South Asia, and they both have equal responsibility towards "regional security and stability".
"We have noted the relevant information". "Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability," he said.
Reiterating its stand on talks between both the nations, Lijian said in revised comments posted on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry that "China calls on the countries to hold dialogue and communication as soon as possible, and look thoroughly into the incident, step up information sharing, and promptly establish a reporting mechanism so that such incidents will not happen again, and misunderstanding and misjudgement can be avoided".
Technical malfunction, says India
India last week said it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan, calling the incident "deeply regrettable". The defence ministry said the “accidental firing" happened because of a “technical malfunction". “On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The government also ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry into the incident, the defence ministry said. The Defence Ministry added it was a matter of relief that there was no loss of life. “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 MoD said.
Pakistan warns India:-
In response, Pakistan summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad and conveyed its strong protest over the alleged unprovoked violation of its airspace by an “Indian-origin super-sonic flying object" and sought a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident. Pakistan issued a warning that India should be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence and take effective measures to avoid the recurrence of such violations in future".
On Saturday last week, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) said it was not satisfied with India's "simplistic explanation" on the "accidental firing" of the missile and demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident.
With PTI inputs
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