NEW DELHI: The mysterious flying object spotted in Aliabad area of Jamshoro district in Sindh province earlier this week could be a missile tested by the government of Pakistan, experts based in Pakistan and India believe.
The smoke-emitting object was noticed falling from the open sky in Aliabad, triggering panic and anxiety among locals on Thursday noon. It resembled a rocket or a missile that looked clearly giving midway through its projectile.
Locals had reported the incident to the police and the administration which asked them not to panic.
A short video of the incident has gone viral on the internet, with social media users commenting that the object was a missile that failed in the test while others believe it was an unidentified flying object (UFO).
Deputy Commissioner of Jamshoro, Captain (retired) Farid-ud-Din Mustafa tweeted, “This viral video pertains to routine mortar tracer rounds fired during Military Exercise at Kotri. No need to panic.”
This viral video pertains to routine mortar tracer round fired during Military Exercise at Kotri. No need to panic. #Ballistic #PakArmy @SindhCMHouse @RasheedChanna1 pic.twitter.com/E9yQvdYxRE
— 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁 (𝗿) 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗱-𝗨𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻-𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗮 (@FaridMustafaPAS) March 17, 2022
“It is unlikely that a mortar with a maximum range of 5-km will have a tracer projectile rise that high,” commented a source in India.
Major (retired) Adil Raja, Spokesperson of Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society told The New Indian the object looked like a missile. “Looks like a missile on its trajectory after gaining altitude,” he said.
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“It was a scheduled test for which detailed NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) was shared with all agencies concerned, both locally and especially internationally,” Raja told The New Indian.
This sighting came days after a missile, accidentally fired from India, landed in Mian Channu city of Khanewal district in Punjab province of the neighbouring country. The government of India, which said that the flight was misfired during maintenance on March 9, has ordered a high-level court to investigate the matter. Pakistan has demanded a joint investigation to “accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident”.