A small drone used by the Indian army for surveillance purposes inadvertently crossed into the Pakistan-controlled region of Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, as reported by officials via the PTI news agency.
The drone, engaged in a test training mission in the Bhimber Gali area, lost contact with its operator due to a technical malfunction and drifted across the LoC, according to the officials.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:25 am on Friday, August 23, while the mini-drone was conducting a training exercise “well within Indian territory,” an army official informed The Hindu newspaper.
“It lost control due to a technical issue and drifted into the Nikial Sector of PoK, opposite our Bhimber Gali Sector,” the official explained.
Media reports indicate that the Pakistani army has since recovered the drone. The Indian army has sent a hotline message to its Pakistani counterpart, requesting the return of the UAV.
In March 2022, a similar incident occurred when an accidental missile firing from the Indian side into Pakistan sparked strong protests from Islamabad, raising concerns about safety protocols along the LoC between the two nuclear-armed nations. India attributed that incident to a technical failure during routine maintenance.
In the meantime, security has been heightened on the Indian side of the LoC to maintain strict vigilance and prevent infiltration, especially in light of the recent uptick in terrorist activities in the Jammu region.
On August 14, the Indian defense minister conducted a high-level review of the security situation along the LoC.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
