An Indian army helicopter that entered Pakistani airspace on Sunday was forced to land by Pakistani aircraft near Skardu and was later released, after which it returned to Indian Occupied Kashmir.
“The Indian helicopter has been released and it has been allowed to go back after we carried out our investigations,” said a senior Pakistani security official, who asked not to be identified by name. According to an Indian media report, Virendra Singh, the Indian army’s Assistant Public Relations Officer, confirmed the return of chopper and said: “The chopper returned to Kargil (in Jammu and Kashmir) at around 6pm.”
The official here said the row over the chopper between Islamabad and New Delhi was resolved after the directors general military operations (DGMOs) of both countries spoke to each other. Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj General Athar Abbas said the helicopter was forced to land near Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“The helicopter had come deep into our airspace after which it was forced to land. Four Indian army officers have been taken into safe custody and they are safe,” Abbas had said in an interview. The Indian crew that was arrested included a lieutenant colonel, two majors and a junior commission officer of the Indian Army.
According to a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman, the PAF air defence aircraft scrambled and immediately reached the area and forced the Indian-made Cheetah helicopter to land at 1pm, 20 kilometres inside Pakistan-controlled territory. “Due to inclement weather in the mountainous Himalayan region, the rescue helicopter lost its way and strayed over the border,” the Indian official was quoted as saying.
good job done and keep it up
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