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IAF shoots down Pak reconnaissance plane

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The Indian Air Force today shot down a Pakistani reconnaissance plane that had strayed into Indian airspace over the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat at about 1100 IST. Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz, calling it a hostile act, said his country reserved the right to make an ''appropriate response.''

The French-made Atlantique marine security surveillance aircraft was shot down by Indian jets off Kori creek near Koteshwar.

Indian authorities said the plane had entered 3 km into the Indian territory, though Pakistan claimed that the plane had been shot down in its airspace. The aircraft had 16 people on board, who are believed killed. The Atlantique, though a reconnaissance plane, is capable of firing the French-made Exocet anti-ship missiles.

According to Defence Minister George Fernandes, the Pakistani plane entered Indian air space at around 1057 IST. When the plane showed no sign of turning back, two Indian MiG-21s scrambled and challenged the Pakistani aircraft.

The defence minister said that the IAF jets intercepted the Pakistani aircraft well inside the Indian air space and signalled it to land at an Indian airfield. Instead of obeying the IAF jets' command to land, the Atlantique turned towards the Indian jets. "In international military convention, this is considered a hostile act. Our aircraft had no choice but to shoot down the Pakistani plane," Fernandes stated.

Highly placed sources at Air Headquarters, New Delhi, said that the whole operation must have barely taken five minutes. "The place from where the MiG-21s took off is a forward area where our jets are kept on high alert. This means that they can take off within two or five minutes, depending on the alert status. In this case it was two minutes,'' said a senior official.

The Indian Navy has been placed in a state of enhanced vigilance. "We are watching the Pakistani reaction," said an officer at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi.

Indian helicopters have discovered the wreckage site and operations are on to locate survivors, if any.

According to air force officials, the latest Pakistani intrusion was the ninth in the Gujarat sector in the past three months (May to July). However, in the earlier eight intrusions, as soon as the Indian jets took to air, the Pakistani aircraft would turn away.

"Our impression was that during the Kargil war and after the Pakistanis were testing us, but they never brought things to a head. This is the first time that instead of turning away and heading back for Pakistan, the Pakistani aircraft actually turned towards the IAF jets. By well-known international convention, this is considered an hostile act," said an air force official.

The defence minister said that Pakistan was now trying to bring some international observers to the crash site and warned that India would not tolerate any such action.

"The crash site is in the Indian territory and we alone will deal with it. Should anyone enter our territory to claim or inspect the wreckage, it will be treated as a hostile act," he warned.

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