Pakistan nearly attacked India after missile misfire, says report. Watch why Islamabad stopped

Days after a BrahMos missile was accidentally launched from Ambala and landed in Pakistan's territory, reports suggest that the incident nearly led to Pak retaliation.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday explained to parliament how a missile was "inadvertently launched" on March 9 and landed in Pakistan.

A Bloomberg report has claimed that Pakistan had prepared to launch a similar missile in a retaliatory strike.

Pakistan held back because an initial assessment indicated something was amiss, Bloomberg quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The Bloomberg report further claimed that India did not inform Pakistan about the accidental launch via a hotline between top military officers of the two countries. The report said that the Indian Air Force shut down the missile system to prevent further launches.

In its first statement after the March 9 incident, the Indian government had blamed a "technical malfunction" during "routine maintenance" for the "accidental firing".

While briefing the Parliament, Rajnath Singh had said that Indian missile systems are "reliable and safe", and safety procedures and protocol are of the "highest order".

India and Pakistan ties are currently going through an adverse phase with minimal diplomatic engagement.