Army has nothing to do with the politics & this is same & will remain same: DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar
Says an Indian projectile on Wednesday entered Pakistani airspace & fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district
Says Pakistan strongly condemns the incident & asks India for an explanation
RAWALPINDI ( Web News )
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Babar Iftikhar says he had clarified this thing in his last press conference that Army has nothing to do with the politics and this is same and will remain same and I would again request that this thing should not be speculated unnecessarily and unnecessary discussions should also not be done on this issue and this will be better for all of us and I would not like to comment on this anymore.
This was stated by DG ISPR while addressing a press conference on Thursday.
Replying another question, DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikahr said that whatever anyone is saying, I have said time and again that if anyone has doubt or thinks something is being done from our side then there will be some evidence and proof of it but till today no one has brought anything in front, then I will request media to ask question from those who says this thing as I have time and again answered the question. He said that ask the question from those who are pointing fingers and claiming, adding that I will not say anything more.
He said that an Indian projectile on Wednesday entered the Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, causing some damage to the surrounding areas. Major General Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan strongly condemned the incident and asked India for an explanation.
“At 6:43pm on Wednesday, a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by the Air Defence Operation Centre of the Pakistan Airforce,” he said. “From its initial course, the object suddenly manoeuvred towards the Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s airspace before ultimately falling near Mian Channu at 6:50pm.”
He said that when the projectile fell, it damaged some civilian property. “Thankfully, no loss or injury to human life was caused,” he said, adding that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) continuously monitored the complete flight path of the flying object from its point of origin near Sirsa in India till its point of impact near Mian Channu.
He went on to say that the PAF initiated requisite tactical actions in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and that the flight path of the object endangered many international and domestic passenger flights both in Indian and Pakistani airspace as well as human life and property on the ground.
“What caused this incident to happen is for the Indians to explain,” he said. “It nevertheless shows their disregard for aviation safety and reflects very poorly on their technological prowess and procedural efficiency.”
Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the incident could have resulted in a major aviation disaster as well as civilian casualties on the ground.
He, however, confirmed that there was “no sensitive installation in the area where the object was shot down.”
He said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) monitored the object thoroughly. “As a responsible nation, we did no provocation. Our investigations are underway to ascertain whether it was missile or something else. It covered the distance of 260 kilometers at an altitude of 40,000 feet. The object coming from India was supersonic,” he said.
In response to a question, he said “testing and trial of such weapon systems do take place”. “But what this was, India has to explain.”
“This incident reflects the questionable capabilities of the human resources working on these programmes in India as well as this technology.”
Asked for more details about the object, he said “we are not claiming anything right now”. “As a responsible nation, we will wait for India to respond. We have given details of whatever we know right now. But it is for the Indians to explain what happened in Mian Channu.” “All our forces are alert to the threat and challenges that we face.”
Speaking about an uptick of terrorism incidents in the country, especially the Sibi blast a day ago in which seven security officials embraced martyrdom, the DG ISPR said that the country’s armed forces are taking “prompt actions” to thwart the nefarious designs of the enemy. “So far, we have killed 80 terrorists during the past few weeks,” he said.
During the press briefing, Air Vice Marshall Tariq Zia told the media that at the time this projectile was picked up, there were two airway routes active and several commercial airlines in the area. “If you look at the speed and height of the projectile, it was 40,000 feet high, and the airlines were between 35,000 to 42,000 feet. This could have been very detrimental to the safety of passengers.”