Swift activation of diplomatic and military channels between India and Pakistan saved the day when an Indian Army helicopter strayed into Pakistan-occupied Kash-mir on Sunday, possibly due to bad weather. By evening, Pakistan released the four Army personnel on board the Cheetah helicopter, and they were safely back in Indian territory.
The Pakistan Army said it forced the helicopter to land and took the four Armymen on board into “military custody” for a few hours. The helicopter was flying from Leh to Bhimbat (Drass sector) when it strayed into PoK at around 1.20 pm. It was on its way to rectify a defect in another Cheetah grounded in Bhimbat earlier due to a technical snag. Three of those on board were officers (a lieutenant-colonel and two majors), while the fourth was a naib subedar. Two of the three officers were pilots, the third an Army aviation wing engineer.
Fortunately, the helicopter was not shot down by the Pakistanis. India expressed its relief and thanked Pakistan Sunday evening for the swift release of all four Army personnel.
“An Indian helicopter was forced to land once it violated Pakistani airspace at 1 pm (Pakistan time) in Olding sector near Skardu. Four crew members were taken into custody,” Pakistan’s chief military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said earlier Sunday.
Sunday’s incident — which led to a few anxious hours of dialogue between the two sides — brought back memories of the 1999 Kargil conflict when an IAF fighter pilot, Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa, was captured by the Pakistanis after his MiG-27 crashed. The officer had ejected safely but was captured. He was released several days later. But that was during a conflict.
India immediately swung into action Sunday, with the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad speaking to the Pakistan foreign ministry. The Indian Army’s director-general of military operations established contact with his Pakistani counterpart and assured him the airspace violation was inadvertent. The helicopter was finally released at around 5.30 pm after the Pakistanis were convinced the straying was a mistake. The Pakistan Army questioned the four Indian Army personnel briefly in their custody and inspected the helicopter to check for sensors or any other equipment before releasing them.
New Delhi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s return of the helicopter. The external affairs ministry’s spokesperson said Sunday night: “We are relieved that our officers and helicopter are back in India. We greatly appreciate the manner in which Pakistan worked with us in resolving the matter.”
Indian defence sources said the four released Army personnel were in good health and said an inquiry would be held to ascertain how the helicopter strayed into PoK. Besides bad weather, the Army will also check if there was an element of pilot error or else a technical snag that prompted the helicopter to cross the Line of Control.