ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has decided to take up the issue related to firing of Indian missile into Pakistan at the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Rizwan Saeed, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told Arab News that Islamabad would raise the issue at the 48th session of the OIC council of the foreign ministers, to be held in Islamabad on March 22-23.
He said that the firing of missile by India was a major development and Pakistan will use the opportunity of OIC summit to raise the issue.
Pakistan is expecting 56 OIC member states to participate in the summit. However, Saad said that 48 countries have confirmed their participation in the key meeting.
A day earlier, Minister of Defence of India Rajnath Singh said that the government is reviewing its procedures for operations, maintenance, and inspection of weapons systems days after firing a missile into Pakistan.
Singh, a close aide of Indian PM Modi, said India accidentally released a missile, which landed in Pakistan at about 7 pm during routine maintenance and inspection without causing any casualties.
Islamabad has already lodged a strong protest to New Delhi, summoning its Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad. It has also sent seven questions to India, calling on New Delhi to come clean about the incident.
India admitted firing the missile as tensions between the two nuclear states calmed in recent months. Islamabad also reacted with a low-key response to what the Modi administration termed as a “technical malfunction.”
A Pakistan foreign office statement said it was an “irresponsible incident,” reflecting India’s “disregard for air safety and callousness towards regional peace and stability.”
Pakistan seeks joint investigation over ‘accidental’ missile firing from India
