IN MARCH 2022, an Indian missile without warheads flew 124 km deep into Pakistan’s territory at supersonic speed and crashed near the eastern Punjab city of Mian Channu without any

casualties or damage. India cited it as a ‘technical malfunction during routine maintenance’. Pakistan, however, used the incident as an opportunity to ridicule India’s ‘malfunctioning

defence technology capabilities’. Neither country specified which missile.

“In hindsight, it could have been an unfortunate technical malfunction or a ploy to test their defences. Normally, time-tested and costly missiles are unlikely to malfunction,” a retired