US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Pak probing new frontiers, says Tipnis

Has Pakistan been planning a 'Kargil at sea' by pushing in intruders into the Sir Creek area through the seas?

Camping at the airbase in Naliya in Gujarat, a little more than 60km from the international border, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis said yesterday that Pakistan has been carrying out reconnaissance around the area for quite some time.

''There have been many air intrusions in the past,'' he told a group of visiting reporters. There have been 52 incidents of violation of Indian airspace by Pakistani aircraft since January this year, 30 of them during the Kargil conflict in May-June. There have been eight instances of intrusion by Pakistani aircraft during May-June in the south-west coast, which covers the Sir Creek area.

The maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Berguet Atlantique, which was shot down by IAF fighters on Tuesday for intruding into Indian airspace, was probably on a planned mission to collect elint (electronic intelligence) and ground information for finding out new water channels in the Sir Creek area for any future offensive by water-borne Pakistani intruders.

''There has been a lot of activity in the Sir Creek area where Pakistani fishermen have been operating for quite some time,'' Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said.

Dismissing the possibility of any 'navigational error' by the Atlantique as the international border is ''clearly demarcated'', the air chief said it was a deliberate mission to probe new channels which could be navigable in the eventuality of any future offensive.

Almost the entire area around Sir Creek is marshy as during high tide it is covered by waters gushing in from the Arabian Sea. Air Chief Marshal Tipnis questioned the logic of flying a maritime reconnaissance aircraft over the Sir Creek area where ''large-scale naval manoeuvres are not expected''.

''But the Atlantique has been known to operate over here for several years,'' he added. Stressing on the need for intensifying surveillance over the region, he said the IAF would get Airborne Early Warning Systems in the near future. The airborne radar platforms, he said, would greatly enhance IAF's surveillance capability for overseeing increased Pakistani activity in the area.

He said the Atlantique is a military combat aircraft in every sense of the world. The aircraft has anti-submarine warfare capabilities and can carry missiles like sea-skimming Exocet, torpedoes and even air-to-air missiles. It can carry about 4,500 kg of ordnance.

Referring to yesterday's incident in the context of the 1991 understanding between India and Pakistan that military combat aircraft of either country will not fly closer than 10 km from the international border without prior intimation, the air chief said, ''We had intimation that Pakistani mirage aircraft would come closer than 10 km but not closer than one km from the border. But there was no intimation about the Atlantique.''

The Atlantique was taken on by IAF fighters 10 km inside Indian territory. ''After an alert was effected by IAF at 1059 hours, the bogey (unidentified aircraft) crossed the IB at 1114 hours ... It was visually identified as Atlantique by the Indian pilots,'' he said, giving the sequence leading to the shooting down of the Pakistani plane.

Even after it was intercepted by the two MiG-21 aircraft which had scrambled from this airbase, the Atlantique did not show ''good intention''. As per the operating procedures, an intruding aircraft in such situations lowers its undercarriage as a sign of ''surrender.'' Pakistani radars were located closer to the scene of action, he said. ''Why was no warning given to the Atlantique crew by the Pakistani authorities?'' he asked, justifying the shooting down of the plane.

The air chief said as the Atlantique turned towards the Indian fighter aircraft, its aggressive intent was aggravated and an infra-red heat-seeking air-to-air missile was fired at it at 1117 hours. The missile hit the Atlantique's port engine which caught fire. At that point of time, the Pakistani plane was flying 5 km inside Indian skies at a height of 1.4 km. After being hit, the Atlantique turned towards the IB and came down about two km from it.

Explaining the spread of the wreckage, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said when a flying aircraft is shot, its debris is strewn over a large area. ''This also depends on the speed of the plane and the angle of impact ... Since the Atlantique had caught fire, debris started falling off while it was still in the skies,'' he said.

The major portion of its debris fell on the IB, he said explaining how some parts fell over the Pakistani side.

Asked whether Indian fighter pilots had established radio contact with the crew of the Atlantique, the air chief said, ''For shooting down a military aircraft, it is not mandatory.''

''It is only in the case of passenger aircraft that all such avenues are explored,'' he said clarifying the rules of engagement. The IAF is on a state of ''alert'' considering the activity on the other side of the border, he said. ''There has been fighter activity on the Pakistani side as radar warnings have shown ... We are fully alert to meet any eventuality.''

However, the air chief said he did not expect any escalation in the wake of the incident and denied knowledge of any Pakistani build-up on the ground. ''We are maintaining a state of alert as a precautionary measure,'' he added.

He also denied that the shooting down of the Pakistani aircraft reflected any aggressive posturing in the post-Kargil scenario. The intrusion by the Atlantique aircraft was a hostile act which was dealt with by the IAF, he stressed.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report