Indian Army denies any crash after Pakistan claims to shoot down Indian drone

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Army on Wednesday said that it shot down an Indian drone after it entered Pakistani airspace near the Line of Control, a claim which Indian officials dismissed as baseless. The Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan armed forces’ media wing, said the unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near the Bhimber sector after it strayed into its territory and was used for spying, which was a violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity. It said the drone was used for aerial photography near the LoC and shot down by the 'Mujahid' force of the Pak army. Neither the Indian Army nor ministries of defence or external affairs chose to react but Army sources said the photograph released by Pakistan showed a "toy that is commercially available and is nothing like a spy drone".

"No Indian Army drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crash has taken place," said an official Army spokesperson, on Wednesday. While things have been quiet on the 740 km LoC this year, the area has seen two ceasefire violations in a week in July, killing two BSF soldiers. The International border has also seen a flurry of ceasefire violations this month where civilian lives have been lost and injured.