Haven’t lost any drones along LoC: Armed forces

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 16, 2015: As New Delhi and Islamabad make efforts to normalise bilateral ties at the political level, Pakistan’s army on Wednesday claimed to have shot down an alleged Indian spy plane on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, a charge denied by the Indian armed forces.

 

The Pakistan army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed in a statement that an "Indian spy drone" was brought down in Bhimber area on the LoC after it violated Pakistan airspace.

A photograph of the crashed drone was also released by ISPR, which claimed that the flying object had violated Pakistan’s territorial integrity. The Indian side treated the claim with caution and the armed forces quickly denied having lost any of their assets on the border.

Sources also said that the picture of the downed drone being splashed in the media did not resemble any of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by the Indian armed forces. "The identity of the object cannot be verified but from what has appeared in the photograph, it certainly did not belong to the armed forces," said an official.

The Indian military has been using Israeli Heron and Searcher drones for intelligence gathering, surveillance and target acquisitions. The size of these drones is much bigger than what is seen in the picture of the crashed flying object.

"The drone shown in the picture is very small, with a very limited endurance, and meant to be operated in a highly localised environment," an official said on the condition of anonymity.

In a late night development, the Pakistan government is learned to have summoned the Indian high commissioner to the foreign office in Islamabad on Thursday to protest against what it calls violation of the Line of Control, besides attempts to spy on its territory.

Doubts over timing

Some Indian defence officials also raised questions over the timing of Pakistan’s claim and wondered if it could be some sort of a ploy to derail the growing bonhomie. The claim was made amid reports of an Indian woman being killed on the International Border (IB) by Pakistan Rangers.

Three others -- two civilians and a BSF constable -- were also injured in the firing from Pakistan’s side, a local police officer claimed. The firing on the International Border was reported while Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks in Ufa, Russia, with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

There have been contradictory signals from Pakistan after the two sides agreed on a joint statement in Ufa, which was termed as a step forward in breaking the stalemate and resuming bilateral talks.

New Delhi has downplayed Pakistan security adviser Sartaj Aziz’s remark that the dialogue "cannot take place with India unless the Kashmir issue is included in the agenda".

Indian officials explained that Aziz was addressing the domestic audience and India will remain committed to the Ufa joint statement which surmised the sense of the meeting between Modi and Sharif. Significantly, the statement was read out jointly by the foreign secretaries of the two countries.

The claim by Pakistan’s army about downing the "Indian spy drone" and the ongoing firing at the International Border is being seen in India as a statement from the military establishment to the political leadership in Islamabad.

Power play

Officials said it was the outcome of the internal power play of Pakistan and should be left at that. The joint statement has given a new direction to ties between the two neighbours and Pakistan should now walk the talk for normalising relations.

The officials said that trouble on the border often follows any attempt to normalise ties at the political level. The armed forces continue to be in a high state of alert to keep the situation under control, defence officials said.

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday