SRINAGAR: A Pakistan Army helicopter broke norms and flew close to the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday morning, alerting Indian forces near Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources in the Indian Army said the helicopter was part of a formation of three. The other two were well within the norms that the two sides have agreed on the tenuous Line of Control
According to laid down norms by India and Pakistan, the rotary wing aircraft should not come within one km of the LoC and fixed wing aircraft should not be within 10 km of it.
An army officer said the Pakistan army helicopters flew close to the LoC in Khari Karmara area between 9.45 am and 10 am. There was no violation of Indian airspace, the officer said. “They (the Pakistan helicopters) did not cross the boundary and as such, there was no firing from our side.”
The helicopter sightings came three days after Indian troopers foiled an attack of Pakistan Army and heavily armed militants in the same area on February 19. A militant was killed and three army men injured in the encounter.
The Wednesday’s incident is likely to further escalate border tension between India and Pakistan. There has been a surge in border ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops along the LoC and International Border in J&K this year.
The Pakistani troops again violated the border ceasefire along the LoC in Tangdhar sector today and fired on army posts and positions.
At least 21 people, including 12 security men and nine civilians, have been killed and over 75 others injured in Pakistani firing and mortar shelling along the LoC and IB in 2018.