Pakistani aircraft believed to have entered Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir

A Pakistani plane is believed to have entered the Indian airspace along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, prompting the army to sound an alert.

Sources said that in the morning hours, a trail of smoke was seen above the LoC in Poonch that started from Shahpur area and ended at Saujiyan. “It is suspected that an aircraft flew over the LoC in the area and travelled around 3-5 kilometres,” they said.

After the incident, the Indian Air Force was asked by the Army to ascertain the veracity of the possibility of an airspace violation, sources said. “As there was no movement of any aircraft from Indian side in the area today morning, it becomes evident that the suspected aircraft was from Pakistani side as a trail of smoke also moved towards Pakistan in the forward Kahota area of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir,” they added.

An official while terming the issue as a cause of concern said although confirmation from the IAF is awaited, “this clearly seems a case of movement of a Pakistani aircraft.”

In the recent months, the movement of Pakistani drones along the LoC and International Border (IB) has become a cause of concern for Indian security agencies. “Pakistan is using drones to airdrop weapons along the LoC and the IB. The dropping of weapons through drones is a big challenge for security agencies as in hilly terrain drones just bypass the forces deployment,” the official said.

However, he added, that violation of airspace by the Pakistani aircraft is a new challenge and needs a tough response from India.