IAF pushes back Pakistani jets, downs PAF F-16

New Delhi/Islamabad, Feb. 27 (IANS): India-Pakistan tensions persisted on Wednesday as the IAF chased away intruding Pakistani fighter jets in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector with India shooting down a Pakistani F-16 which fell on the Pakistani side. An Indian military aircraft, however, crashed in Badgam in Jammu and Kashmir, 7 kilometres from the Srinagar International Airport, police said, leading to the suspension of commercial flights across at least eight cities including Leh, Pathankot, Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar. India shot down one of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16s that had come close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector. The aircraft fell three kilometres in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. As the PAF jets approached the LoC, the Indian Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighters. Retaliatory fire from the ground force forced the F-16s to return but not before one took a hit and went down. The incident occurred a day after IAF jets bombed the biggest training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit in Balakot. "The jets entered the Indian air space over Nowshera in Rajouri district this morning," a police officer said, adding that the Indian fighter jets on air patrol immediately scrambled and pushed them back beyond the LoC. Indian Air Defence Systems have been on maximum alert since Tuesday. Simultaneously, Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy fire using mortars and small arms in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector, Defence Ministry sources said. The clash occurred in Kamalkote area. Heavy firing was also continuing intermittently at 40 places on the LoC including Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts since Tuesday night. The Indian attack on the JeM training camp came 12 days after a suicide bomber killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force troopers in the worst terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy hit the state in 1989. The attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based JeM.

India seeks immediate, safe return of pilot in Pakistan custody 

New Delhi, Feb. 27 (IANS): India on Wednesday said that Pakistan has committed "unprovoked act of aggression" by targeting Indian military posts with its air force and sought immediate and safe return of an Indian pilot in its custody. India issued a demarche to Pakistan objecting to "vulgar display" of an injured person of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms and said Islamabad must ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody. The External Affairs Ministry summoned Pakistan's Acting High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah and lodged a strong protest at "the unprovoked act of aggression by Pakistan against India earlier today (Wednesday), including by violation of the Indian air space by Pakistan Air Force and targeting of Indian military posts". It also gave Pakistan a dossier with specific details of Jaish-e-Mohammed's complicity in Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed earlier this month. "India also strongly objected to Pakistan's vulgar display of an injured personnel of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention. It was made clear that Pakistan would be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody. "India also expects his immediate and safe return," the statement said. India had earlier in the day accused Pakistan of targeting the country's military installations in response to its counter-terrorism action a day earlier and said an Indian MiG-21 Bison pilot was "missing in action". It said that Pakistan has used its air force to target military installations on the Indian side and in the aerial engagement, one PAF fighter aircraft was shot down but a MiG-21 aircraft was also lost. Pakistan on Wednesday claimed that it shot down two Indian military aircraft over Pakistani air space and arrested one of the pilots. It may be mentioned that Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed in a tweet that it shot down two Indian military aircraft over Pakistani air space and arrested one of the pilots.