Pakistan Army shoots down Indian spy drone over LoC

DG ISPR says not even a quad-copter will be allowed to cross the LoC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army shot down an Indian spy quadcopter flying over the Pakistani side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Bagh Sector on Tuesday, the chief military spokesperson said.

Major General Asif Ghafoor, the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), released the picture of the quadcopter in a tweet from his official Twitter handle.

"Not even a quadcopter will be allowed to cross [the] LoC, In Shaa Allah," he wrote on the social networking site.

Pakistan Army troops shot down Indian Spy Quadcopter in Bagh Sector along Line of Control. Not even a quadcopter will be allowed to cross LOC, In Shaa Allah. pic.twitter.com/CIT2ORe9eA

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) January 1, 2019

This is the first Indian spy quadcopter to have been downed for intruding into Pakistani airspace this year. Last year, four such Indian drones had been shot down by Pakistani border guards.

The military spokesperson's revelation came within minutes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up rhetoric against Pakistan in an interview on New Year's Day.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register a formal protest over the latest ceasefire violations by Indian troops, which left a woman dead and caused injuries to many others.

"The Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr Mohammad Faisal, summoned the Indian acting deputy high commissioner and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the LoC  on 31st December 2018 in Athmuqam-Shahkot Sector," read a handout issued by the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office said the Indian forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary were continuously targeting populated areas with heavy weapons.

"In 2018, the Indian forces carried out more than 2,350 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary, resulting in the Shahadat of 36 innocent civilians, while injuring 142 others," it said.



"This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017, when the Indian forces committed 1,970 ceasefire violations," the statement added.

It went on to say that the deliberate targeting of the populated areas was indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws.

The ceasefire violations by India were a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation, the Foreign Office said, adding the director general urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement.

Dr Faisal also asked the Indian side to investigate the ceasefire violation and other similar violations; instruct its forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary.

He urged India to permit the United Nations Military Observers Group for Indian and Pakistan (Unmogip) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Exchange of lists

Meanwhile, as part of a bilateral agreement, Pakistan and India on Tuesday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities as well as prisoners languishing in each other countries’ jails.

"In accordance with Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, signed on 31st December 1988, the list of nuclear installations and facilities in Pakistan was officially handed over to a representative of the Indian High Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, at 1000 hours (PST)," said the statement. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs handed over the list of Indian nuclear installations and facilities to a representative of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi at the same time.

The agreement contains the provision that both countries inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities on January 1, every year. This has been done consecutively since 1992.

Pakistan also handed over a list of 537 Indian prisoners (54 civilian and 483 fishermen) in Pakistan to the High Commission of India in Islamabad. The Indian government will also share the list of Pakistani prisoners with Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

"This step is consistent with the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India, signed on 21 May 2008, under which both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody twice a year, on 1st January and 1st July, respectively," the Foreign Office said.