Drone spotted over Indian mission in Islamabad; India lodges protest

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 2

India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan and asked it to investigate the incident of a drone hovering over a late-evening get-together on the Indian High Commission premises in Islamabad on June 26.

Also read: Drone strikes in Jammu airbase an act of terror: Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria

BSF opens fire after Pakistani drone spotted over international border in Jammu

The incident came a day before explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on June 27.

“We have taken up the matter officially with the Government of Pakistan and expect Pakistan to investigate and prevent recurrence of such breach of security,’’ said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi

Sources said the drone was spotted twice over the High Commission’s premises around 10 pm when a get-together was in progress.

However, spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri dismissed the claim as “preposterous’’ and said Indian diplomats had not shared any facts or proof whatsoever to substantiate these allegations.

Chaudhri went on to describe the allegations as “diversionary Indian tactics’’ and then diverted the topic to Kashmir by stating that Islamabad will continue to stand by the people of J&K in their “struggle for the right to self-determination.’’

The Indian High Commission too has taken up the issue strongly with the Pakistani authorities through a note verbale.

The drones over Jammu Air Force station and the Indian High Commission’s premises were the first such instances of unmanned aerial vehicles being used against Government assets.

The Army Chief Gen MM Naravane had said on Thursday that the easy availability of drones had increased the complexity of security challenges from both state and state-sponsored actors.

Pakistan, on the other hand, alleged that this was a “propaganda campaign’’ at a time when evidence so far collected in the Lahore blast of June 23 is “increasingly pointing to external forces with a history of perpetrating state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan.”

The MEA said the Jammu drone attack was still being investigated and reiterated its demand to Pakistan for credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorist networks on its soil. It also called on Pakistan to bring to justice perpetrators of terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Pathankot.

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