AJK PM’s helicopter comes under Indian fire

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider had a close call on Sunday when the Indian security forces opened fire at his helicopter while flying inside Pakistan’s airspace near the Line of Control (LoC).

Haider was reportedly travelling to offer condolences to an acquaintance when his helicopter came under fire near Tarori. The helicopter was immediately landed and luckily no humanitarian loss occurred. Giving his reaction to the incident, Raja Farooq Haider termed the Indian firing a drama.

Haider said he was in the Pakistani territory travelling along with his ministers in a private helicopter. “We don’t want to add to tensions in the region. And, it is quite obvious that India is in panic. While on their part, Kashmiris will be the frontline of defence in front of India,” he asserted.

He noted that a civilian aircraft could even go close to the Zero Line, but in case of flight of a military aircraft prior information had to be shared with the army on the either side. The Indian army, he said, resorted to firing to show that there had been violation of their airspace by the Pakistani side.

Meanwhile, AJK President Sardar Masood Khan Sunday strongly condemned the incident and termed it an act of cowardice. In a statement, he said such acts by the Indian forces would not intimidate "our leadership and civilians in their struggle towards ascertaining the right to self-determination of Kashmiri people living under the oppressive Indian rule in the occupied territory.”

He said the act demonstrated India's insecurities and exposed their aggressive posturing and warmongering. “Such manoeuvers by the Indian government and forces are aimed at diverting attention from the real issue of Kashmir and the grave human rights violations taking place in the Indian occupied Kashmir,” he added.

Former prime minister Azad Kashmir Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, who also heads the Kashmir chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said India could not crush the Kashmiris’ ongoing uprising against the occupation of Held Kashmir. Talking to the media persons here, he said guns and excessive use of pellet guns had failed to dampen the freedom struggle and enthusiasm of Kashmiri freedom fighters.

He noted that after failing in its machinations, he Indian forces were now using chemical weapons against innocent Kashmiri civilians, claiming several lives. He strongly condemned the Indian atrocities against the people of Indian held Kashmir and said the only way out of the situation was a plebiscite.

Referring to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly session, he said the minister had truly represented the aspirations of Pakistanis and Kashmiris.

Confirming the development, an army spokesperson claimed that a Pakistani helicopter flew inside the Indian territory near the LoC in Poonch district for several minutes following which the army tried to shoot it down.

He said a white colour copter came within 250 metres of the LoC in Dalhan area of the district at around 12:10 pm. "It could likely to be a civil chopper and was flying very high. The air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms,” he said.