India fires officers for Pakistan missile mishap

India's air force on Tuesday dismissed three officers for accidentally firing a cruise missile into neighboring Pakistan.

The air force in a statement said a formal inquiry found that "deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile" into Pakistan.

"These three officers have primarily been held responsible for the incident. Their services have been terminated by the Central Govt with immediate effect," the statement said.

The BrahMos cruise missile was fired from India on March 9. It landed in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, roughly 125 kilometers (78 miles) inside Pakistani territory, damaging a wall in a residential area. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Pakistani officials demanded an explanation from New Delhi and called the launch a "flagrant violation" of the country's airspace.

Two days after the launch, India's defense ministry acknowledged the mistake, saying that the firing was caused by a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance. The ministry called the incident "deeply regrettable."

Tensions between Pakistan and India

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since the two country's independence from the British Empire in 1947. Both Islamabad and New Delhi lay claim to the entire territory of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

In 2019, Pakistan's air force shot down an Indian aircraft in a Pakistani-administered area of Kashmir and captured a pilot, who was later released. Earlier, an Indian warplane carried out an airstrike allegedly targeting militants in the town of Balakot in Pakistan's northwestern region of Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The town lies immediately west of Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

sdi/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)