ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has downplayed alleged Indian violations of its airspace, suggesting yesterday that they were “inadvertent” and “technical” in an apparent bid to avoid worsening tensions already spiked by the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistani officials said Indian aircraft entered about 4 km inside Pakistan’s section of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and over the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday.
Pakistani jets chased the Indian aircraft back over the border, authorities here said.
Both sides are usually careful to avoid such territorial violations, and it was unclear how two separate but apparently accidental incursions could occur on the same day.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari tried to dismiss the incidents, calling them “technical incursions” that have been blown out of proportion.
“Incursions do happen,” he told a news conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, saying the planes were flying at about 40,000 feet when they executed a turn that “slightly entered Pakistan soil.” India denied its aircraft crossed into Pakistani airspace.
“There has not been any airspace violation by the Indian Air Force as has been alleged,” Indian Air Force spokesman Mahesh Upasani said yesterday.
The alleged incident comes amid tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals over last month’s deadly attack in Mumbai. India has said the attack had roots in Pakistan. It suspects the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.
Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman said in a statement that the Indian Air Force had told Pakistan the incursion was “inadvertent.” “There is no need for undue alarm,” she said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he hopes relations can be “normalized” — but not until “our neighbor stops allowing its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India.”
