India terminates three military personnel for “accidental” missile firing into Pakistan

The Indian Air Force has dismissed three military personnel, including the unit commander, after malpractice led to the “accidental” firing of a supersonic cruise missile over Pakistan in early March.

Pakistani authorities then lodged a protest note and an investigation in India has determined that the launch did occur, but that it was due to a technical failure during maintenance work.

The three dismissed military personnel have been held “responsible” for the accident, and are therefore out of the Armed Forces “with immediate effect”, according to a statement reported by the newspaper ‘Times of India’.

Pakistan and India have a long history of clashes, especially arising from their dispute over the Kashmir region, for which they have fought two of the three wars fought since independence from the United Kingdom.