India/Pakistan War

Henry C.K. Liu hliu at mindspring.com
Fri May 28 00:01:42 PDT 1999


Friday May 28 1999

Pakistan shoots

down jet fighter

AGENCIES in New Delhi and Islamabad

Pakistan said it had shot down two Indian jet

fighters over Kashmir yesterday. India

admitted one had been hit, but said the other

crashed after mechanical failure.

The incident threatened to trigger the worst

crisis between the two now nuclear-armed

states since the end in 1971 of their third

post-independence war, also over Kashmir.

Defence Minister George Fernandes emerged

from a crisis meeting of India's caretaker

cabinet to say a decision on retaliation for

"this provocative act" had been taken. He did

not elaborate.

National security adviser Brajesh Mishra said

tensions would not escalate into war.

Pakistan Information Minister Mushahid

Hussein said Pakistan was committed to

peace. He would not speculate whether the

downing of the jets could lead to war.

"It depends on the Indian leadership and how

they tackle the situation . . . on our part we

are committed to dialogue," he said, urging

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to

immediately open talks.

However, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz

Sharif said the country's nuclear tests a year

ago had given it a new confidence in

confronting any enemy challenge.

Islamabad claimed both aircraft had violated

its airspace, and had come down between

6km and 7km inside Pakistani-ruled Kashmir.

India denied either had crossed the Line of

Control between the two countries in the

disputed Himalayan territory before it was hit,

but admitted one came down in Pakistani

territory.

One of the pilots was killed, the other ejected

and was captured. Although war has not been

declared, Pakistan said the aviator would be

treated as a prisoner of war.

"India has grossly violated our territorial

space and is a threat to peace in the region,"

said Mr Hussein.

Indian Air Vice-Marshal S. K. Malik

denounced what he called "a hostile act and a

provocative act". The opposition Congress

party demanded "a fitting reply".

The Indian jets were bombing Muslim

militants holed up in Kargil, Dras and Batalik

in northern Kashmir, 6km inside the Line of

Control. India claimed Pakistan's military was

supporting and supplying the infiltrators.

Marshal Malik said the air attacks, involving

jet fighters and helicopter gunships, would

continue.

Indian military officials said air support had

helped clear some of the ridges held by the

infiltrators after 17,000 troops failed to

dislodge them.

"Some of the intruders are regular Pakistan

army troops in disguise," Brigadier Mohan

Bhandari said.

Pakistan denied its troops were involved and

accused India of launching the air strikes to

annex Pakistani territory.

Marshal Malik said the pilot of a MiG-27 jet

was forced to eject when the aircraft suffered

engine failure and started to lose altitude. A

MiG-21 flew low to locate the pilot and came

under attack.

"While doing so, trying to spot whether the

ejected pilot had landed in inhospitable terrain

so that he could be picked up, the [MiG-21]

was hit by a missile from across the border,"

Marshal Malik said.

"Aircraft were operating close to the LOC

[line of control] but they were on our side,"

he said.

But Pakistan's Major-General Anis Bajwa

said: "[On Wednesday] Indian planes violated

the LOC and attacked one of our positions

and rocketed it.

"They came in the same area again today,

they found us ready and we shot down both

the aircraft through ground fire."

The United States urged the two sides to halt

flaring tensions and called on them to talk

rather than fight.



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