Soldiers manning the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir went into an overdrive on Sunday after a helicopter entered the Indian airspace from Pakistan. The guards responded by opening fire, forcing the chopper to retreat in five minutes.
The drama unfolded after Indian Army soldiers spotted a white helicopter in Gulpur area of Poonch sector around 12.10 pm. According to Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, defence spokesman at Jammu, “It was likely to be a civil chopper and was flying very high. Air sentries at forward location engaged it with small arms.”
Pakistani media said that Raja Farooq Haider, the prime minister of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, was on board the copter when it flew into the Indian side. Haider’s office later issued a statement saying, “The Indian army fired to show that Pakistan had violated their airspace.”
The violation comes against the backdrop of India’s fierce criticism of Pakistan over terror at the United Nations General Assembly. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday lambasted Islamabad for glorifying and sheltering terrorists.
Indian authorities have taken the intrusion seriously, said sources. They are looking into all angles to find out whether it was a pilot error or a deliberate attempt. Had the chopper been shot down, experts said, it would have led to a major escalation between the two sides.
Under the agreed norms between India and Pakistan, a rotary wing aircraft should not venture within one kilometer of the LoC.
A fixed wing aircraft should stay 10 kilometer away from the LoC.
On February 21, Pakistani army choppers came 300 metres close to the LoC. However, they did not violate the Indian airspace and returned to their side in the Poonch sector.
“Basically from ground, you do not know whether the aircraft inside your territory has come in unintentionally or intentionally. Whether it has come intentionally to survey your defences. Keeping that in view, Pakistan should ensure that such incidents don’t happen because it could escalate into something greater,” said Captain (retired) Anil Gaur, a defence analyst.
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