A unmanned Indian spy plane shot down by Pakistan was carrying an Israeli-made camera and caught fire moments after it came under attack, witnesses and officials said Saturday.
According to AP, Pakistan said the incident "can only enhance the dangers" of an escalation in tensions that international envoys have been trying to defuse.
Media were escorted to the wreckage, badly charred and still smoking, in a sugar cane field 15 kilometers inside Pakistani air space in the village of Dogran Kalan, 40 kilometers from Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city. Not much was left of the aircraft, but officials showed off the camera that they said had been aboard.
The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Friday night (1700 GMT). "Penetration of the Indian airplane into our air space can only enhance the dangers existing in the presence of forces on both sides of the Line of Control," Pak Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said Saturday. "In a situation like this, responsible states must exercise utmost care to ensure that no provocations are made which might lead to escalation."
Chief government spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Quereshi earlier said the incident was the latest example of India's "complete disregard" for "international norms" and repeated Pakistan's contention that it wants a reduction tensions "but if Indian aggression is launched, Pakistan will defend itself."
The radar of the Pakistan Air Force spotted the spy plane the moment it violated our country's airspace," a senior defense official told The Associated Press.
For its part, India said on Saturday an unmanned spy plane went missing after a routine flight near the border with Pakistan. An Indian air force spokesman said: "An unmanned aerial vehicle on a routine flight lost contact at about 2300 hours (1730 GMT) on Friday.
"In the current state of deployment of armed forces, unmanned aerial vehicle missions from either side are a routine feature." (Albawaba.com)
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