The accidental firing of a missile by India shows technical lapses of a serious nature in India’s management of strategic weapons: Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called on the United Nations to demand from India to hold a joint investigation into a missile New Delhi said it “accidentally” fired into its territory, rejecting the Indian move to hold an internal inquiry.
Pakistan pushed for a joint probe during Foreign Minister Qureshi’s phone conversation with United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres on March 14.
Briefing the UNSG on the so-called accidental firing of a missile by India on 9 March 2022 which fell to the ground in Pakistan’s territory, the foreign minister stressed that it was “a blatant violation of Pakistan’s airspace and reflective of India’s disregard for aviation safety as well as regional peace and stability.”
The foreign minister emphasized that Pakistan continued to act with restraint and responsibility.
He underscored Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe into the incident due to “multiple shortcomings and technical lapses of a serious nature in India’s management of strategic weapons.”
Qureshi added that the incident was consistent with India’s irresponsible conduct and needed to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council.
Ukraine situation
On the situation in Ukraine, the Foreign Minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on the ongoing conflict, its adverse economic impact on developing countries, and Pakistan’s efforts in support of a solution through dialogue and diplomacy. He pointed out that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been stressing from the outset that developing countries suffer the most from conflict anywhere in the world.
The UN chief apprised the Foreign Minister of the recent initiatives being explored by the UN to address sky-rocketing inflation worldwide in the wake of the situation in Ukraine.
He also highlighted the need to collectively undertake measures for countering the disruptions in global supply chains which were leading to food and energy shortages with a particularly adverse impact on developing countries. The Foreign Minister assured him of Pakistan’s full support and cooperation in these endeavours.
They also discussed Pakistan-UN cooperation including in the area of Peacekeeping as well as for overcoming the challenges posed by the triple global crisis of COVID-19, Sustainable Development and Climate Change.