WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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Pakistan downplays alleged India airspace breach
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-15 08:14 Pakistan downplayed alleged Indian violations of its airspace, suggesting on Sunday that they were "inadvertent" and "technical", in a bid to avoid worsening tensions already spiked by the Mumbai attacks. While India denied its aircraft crossed into Pakistani airspace, the country's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he wants "normalized relations with Pakistan".
Pakistani officials said Indian aircraft entered 2-4 km inside Pakistan's section of the disputed Kashmir region and over the city of Lahore on Saturday. Both sides are usually careful to avoid such territorial violations, and it was unclear how two separate but apparently accidental incursions could occur on the same day.
"Incursions do happen," he told a news conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, saying the planes were flying at about 12,000 meters when they executed a turn that "slightly entered Pakistan soil." "The Indian Air Force denies any such violation of airspace," Indian Air Force spokesman, Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani said, describing Pakistani accusations as an attempt to divert "the attention of the people towards something which has not happened". In Indian Kashmir, - a focal point of much of the tension between India and Pakistan - India's Prime Minister Singh said he hopes relations between the neighbors can be "normalized," but this cannot happen until "our neighbor stops allowing its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India". The alleged violations come at a time when tension is escalating between the nuclear-armed rivals over last month's attacks in Mumbai. India has said the attack, which left more than 170 dead, had roots in Pakistan. It suspects the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. Members of the banned group and a charity allegedly linked to it have a strong presence in both areas over where the Indian planes were alleged to have flown. Pakistan has denied any link but has arrested some alleged plotters while demanding India hand over evidence to aid in their prosecution. Pakistani authorities say they will prosecute in their own courts anyone linked to the 3-day siege in Mumbai - they just need the proof. "Our own investigations cannot proceed beyond a certain point without provision of credible information and evidence," said Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said it was too early to share any of what investigators say is ironclad evidence tying the attacks to Pakistani soil. According to India, the 10 gunmen were from Pakistan, as were the handlers, masterminds, weapons, training camps and financing. In a related development, the owners of the two luxury Mumbai hotels, which were targeted by the militants, said the hotels will reopen on Dec 21. The 105-year-old Taj Mahal hotel, will open the hotel's new wing, known as The Taj Mahal Tower. It is not known when the older part of the sprawling Mumbai landmark would reopen. The Trident hotel too will reopen but its older Oberoi wing, which suffered more extensive damage, could take a few months longer to reopen. Agencies |
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