India is reviewing procedures after accidental firing of missile into Pakistan : Indian defence minister

Indiais reviewing its standard operatingproceduresfor weapons systems and will immediately fix any shortcomingsafteraccidentally launching amissileintoPakistanlast week, its defence minister said on Tuesday.

Pakistansaid it was not satisfied and reiterated a demand for a joint investigation into the incident by the nuclear-armed arch rivals.

Although tensions betweenIndiaandPakistanhave calmed in recent months, military experts have previously warned against the possibility of accidents or miscalculations by the South Asian neighbours, who have fought three wars.

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Themissile, released around 7 p.m. last Wednesday during routine maintenance and inspection, landed inPakistanwithout causing any casualties,India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament.

"We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems," Singh said in the first public statement by anIndian official on the incident first reported byPakistan's military on Thursday.

"I would also like to state that a review of the standard operatingproceduresfor operations, maintenance and inspections is being conducted," Singh added.

PakistanForeign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at a news conference that the statement was "incomplete and insufficient".

"Pakistancannot be satisfied by the explanation given, and I reject it," he said, adding that Islamabad wanted a joint probe.

Pakistanhas demanded New Delhi give details about the safety mechanisms in place to preventaccidentalmissilelaunches and asked the international community to help maintain regional stability.

China urged the two countries to set up a reporting mechanism to avoid such incidents and share information, said Zhao Lijian, a spokesman at its foreign ministry.

"PakistanandIndiaare both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability," he told reporters on Monday.

WhilePakistanappreciated China's statement, Qureshi said that the U.S. State Department spokesperson had "skirted the issue" a day earlier and had not taken a position on the matter, which he stressed could have lead to war.

He added he had written to the UN Security Council too, but said the international community was not taking the matter seriously enough.

Watch |India’s missile system ‘highly secure and safe’, says Rajnath Singh

Delivering short statements in both houses ofIndia's parliament, Singh said the safetyproceduresand protocols for the country'smissilesystems were of the highest standard and reviewed periodically.

"I can assure the House that themissilesystem is very reliable and safe," he said, without saying whichmissilehad beenaccidentally launched.