No Indication Firing Of Missile From India Into Pakistan 'Anything Other Than Accidental': US

Washington, Mar 15 (PTI) The United States has said that there is no indication that the recent firing of a missile from India which landed in Pakistan was 'anything other than accidental.'

India on Friday said it accidentally fired a missile on March 9 that landed in Pakistan and that the 'deeply regrettable' incident was caused by a technical malfunction in the course of its routine maintenance.

'We have no indication as you also heard from our Indian partners that this incident was anything other than an accident,' State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in response to a question at his daily news conference on Monday.

'We refer you of course to the Indian Ministry of Defence for any follow up. They issued a statement on March 9th to explain precisely what had happened. We don't have a comment beyond that,' Price added.

The defence ministry said in New Delhi that the government has taken a serious view of the incident and ordered a 'Court of Enquiry' into it, a day after Pakistan said a high-speed projectile launched from India entered its airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district in Pakistan's Punjab province.

On Thursday night, Pakistan summoned India's Charge d'Affaires at in Islamabad and conveyed its strong protest over the 'unprovoked' violation of its airspace by the supersonic 'projectile' of Indian origin.

The Pakistan foreign office has also called for a thorough joint investigation into the incident.

'On March 9, 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,' the defence ministry said in a statement in New Delhi on Friday.

'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,' it said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)