WORLD> Asia-Pacific
India denies Pakistani allegations of air space violation
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-14 14:38
NEW DELHI -- Indian airforce officials Sunday morning denied reports that its fighter jets had violated Pakistan 's air space and said they had received no complaint from the Pakistani side, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.

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Responding to Pakistani allegations that Indian fighter jets had violated their airspace late Saturday night by entering two places - Pakistani Kashmir and Lahore sectors - and were forced to turn back, a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) official in the Western Air Command said: "There is no truth in the allegations, it is all rubbish."

The official said, "We haven't even received any complaint from the Pakistani air force."

Dawn News of Pakistan Saturday quoted a Pakistan Air Force Air Commodore as saying that two Indian aircraft entered into Pakistan 's airspace.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Information Minister Sherry Rehman said that Indians had told Pakistan that it was an "inadvertent incursion". She said that Pakistan did not want to prolong the matter.

IAF said the Pakistani accusation was not true.

The incident comes at a time when tension is running high between the two nuclear-powered neighbors after the deadly Mumbai attacks, which killed around 180 people and injured over 300, the local Zeenews said.