Pakistan recovers Indian Army’s drone that crossed LoC after ‘technical malfunction’
Tactical drone (Representative image)
In a shocking turn of events, a mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Indian Army suffered a ‘technical malfunction’ on Friday (Aug 23) and drifted into Pakistani airspace. The Indian Army in a statement said that the UAV was on a training mission when itentered Pakistan’s Nikial Sector and was later recovered by Pakistani troops.
“At 9.25 am, a Mini UAV on a training mission well within the Indian Territory lost control due to a technical malfunction and drifted into the Nikial Sector of Pakistan opposite our Bhimber Gali Sector,” the Indian Army said.
The Indian side has now askedPakistan Army to return the UAV, the statement added.
“A hotline message has been sent to the Pakistan Army to return the said UAV,” said the Indian Army.
The incident comes two days after an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet accidentally released an "air store" near the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, following a technical malfunction.
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The air store was essentially a practice bomb designed to be used in drills to target designated enemies. A probe has been ordered into the incident that happened on August 21.
The Friday incident reminded Indians, as well as Pakistanis, of the March 2022 incident whenIndia accidentally fired a BrahMos missile into Pakistan, with human error causing the unprecedented incident. The Indian Air Force blamed the incident on a technical malfunction during routine maintenance.
In an explanation to the Delhi High Court, the IAF later said that combat connectors of the Brahmos missile "remained connected to the junction box" which led to accidental firing in Pakistan.
The Air Force added that the incident caused a loss of₹25 crore ($2.9 mn)to the government exchequer. The IAF also told the court that the incident had the "effect of affecting the relations" between India and Pakistan.
(With inputs from agencies)