Talk honestly on missile launch not propaganda film, Owaisi tells PM

The Opposition seems to be unconvinced with the clarification given by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament with regard to the accidental launch of a missile that landed in Pakistan.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen founder and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, "The statement by the Defence Minister in the Rajya Sabha has told us nothing. This report has scary details of the missile incident which should have been explained. A cover-up, as with own helicopter shooting after Balakot, will not help."

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Citing a Bloomberg report, which claimed that the misguided Indian missile almost resulted in a retaliatory strike from Pakistan, Owaisi said that "the missile would have gotten armed if it had reached its designated target. What was the designated target? Does that mean that the missile was with a warhead?"

Owaisi, in a series of posts on Twitter, said, "The Prime Minister and government must rise about their petty politics and propaganda films (referring to controversial film The Kashmir Files), to focus on being transparent and honest about the missile accident. India has a global reputation as a responsible nuclear power and it cannot be allowed to be destroyed because of this incompetent government."

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The AIMIM chief's remarks come a day after the government told the Parliament that the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections were being reviewed following the incident. 

He further said that India attaches the highest priority to the security and safety of its weapon systems. 

Reiterating that if any shortcoming is found during the ongoing probe into the accidental firing, it would be rectified immediately. 

The defence minister also sought to assure the lawmakers that the country's missile systems are very reliable and that the safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order.

• Accidental missile launch
• Asaduddin Owaisi
• India
• Islamabad
• Narendra Modi
• New Delhi
• Pakistan
• Parliament
• Prime Minister
• Rajnath Singh
• The Kashmir Files
• defence
• missile launch
• politics
• propaganda