Need for institutionalised dialogue with Pakistan on nuclear issues: Manish Tewari

New Delhi, March 29

Voicing concern over the accidental firing of a missile that landed in Pakistan, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Tuesday called for an institutionalised dialogue on nuclear issues. 

Raising the matter during Zero Hour, he said facts suggested that Pakistan had prepared a retaliatory strike when the missile had entered their territory.

“The trajectory of the missile had a large number of civilian aircraft in its vicinity and there could have been an unintended catastrophe. We were lucky on that particular day,” Tewari said.

The Lok Sabha member from Anandpur Sahib said the incident made a strong case for an institutionalised dialogue with Pakistan on nuclear issues.

He said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had made a statement on the issue on March 15 and informed the House that a Court of Inquiry had been ordered to probe the incident.

According to the defence ministry, a missile got accidentally released around 7 pm on March 9 during a routine maintenance and inspection of the missile unit.

It said the missile was learnt to have landed in an area in Pakistan.

“While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt,” Singh had told the Lok Sabha on March 15.