ISLAMABAD: During a hearing of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, Sherry Rehman, the chairwoman of the committee, described the launch of an Indian missile into Pakistan as a potential starting point for many crises.
In a Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs session held at Parliament House, Rehman, who is also a parliamentary leader of the Pakistan People’s Party on the Senate, discussed the Indian projectile accident in Pakistani territory and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Moscow travel follow-up.
Rehman stated his plan to call officials from the Air Defence Command and the Strategic Plans Division to the committee’s next meeting and requested an in-camera briefing on the topic.
“Indian missile crash was an extremely dangerous indicator of multiple crises that could have been precipitated,” the Senator said.
She stated that an escalation of hostilities between two nuclear-armed countries must be avoided at all costs, particularly in the absence of a framework for de-escalation.
“There is no current example in the world of such a risk-laden setting where two nuclear powers with a history of four wars are also direct neighbours.”
She stated that the gravity of this so-called “error” cannot go ignored by Pakistan and the international community due to our volatile history.
“It is critical to note that this ‘technical fault’ did not occur in disputed territory, but in Mian Channu, 500 kilometres from Islamabad,” she stated.
Even if we accept this flimsy explanation that it was a missile that flew off its charted trajectory, why did it not self-destruct, according to the senator.
She said the incident raises questions about how India could allow a disaster of such magnitude to “slip” through during a “routine review.”
In briefing the committee on the matter, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Sohail Mehmood stated that Pakistan had summoned India’s charge d’affaires and handed them the questions asking an explanation, as well as being warned against any future incidents of this nature. He went on to say, “Pakistan demands a joint investigation to accurately ascertain the facts surrounding the tragedy.”
She questioned “efforts taken by Pakistan to ensure the safe and secure return of its residents, with a particular focus on students and the consequences of Pakistan’s exposure” during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Prime Minister’s journey to Russia, according to Sohail Mehmood, was arranged two years ago. He added that the prime minister was invited to visit Russia twice last year but was unable to do so due to the corona epidemic.
“Several chiefs of state visited Russia, and it was expected that there would be no conflict; instead, it occurred during the visit.” During his visit, the prime minister urged for a peaceful resolution of the matter through dialogue,” the foreign secretary said.
Sohail Mehmood responded to a question concerning the stranded Pakistanis in Ukraine by saying that 1,558 persons have been evacuated from Ukraine so far, with Pakistani students being evacuated via Poland. There are approximately 15 to 20 Pakistanis detained in detention centres who do not wish to return to their homeland.
