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Devsagar Singh
New Delhi, May 28: India lost yet another aircraft -- a Mi-17 helicopter -- in the Kargil region on Friday when it was shot down by Pakistan-backed intruders using US-made stinger missiles.
All the four occupants -- two pilots and two crew members -- died when the missile-hit chopper crashed in the mountainous terrain, six to eight kilometers within the line of control at Tololin in the Drass sub-sector. A Pakistan occupied Kashmir-based militant outfit, Muttahida Jihaad Council, claimed responsibility for shooting down the Mi-17, according to reports reaching here.
New Delhi, however, maintained that the fresh air strikes, launched on Friday, resulted in substantive gains as all infiltrators on an important ridge in the Drass sub-sector were completely routed.
Realising that the intruders were on the run, Pakistan opened fire on about a dozen border outposts (BoPs) in the Jammu region during the past 24 hours with an obvious aim at sparking off fresh trouble spots for India. All such attacks wererepulsed successfully, the defence ministry claimed.
Defence authorities have, however, sent alert signals to all border states, especially since troop movements have been noticed across the border.
The Cabinet committee on security again met on Friday to take stock of the situation. Significantly, defence minister George Fernandes put the onus on the Pakistani army for conspiring against India, while giving a clean chit to prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the ISI, foxing even the highest echelons of the armed forces.
"In this entire episode (of sending mercenaries) the Pakistan army has hatched a conspiracy to push in the infiltrators and the Nawaz Sharif government did not have a major role. The ISI, which we know initiates such activities, has not played any role," Fernandes told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
Fernandes said the Vajpayee government had information that "the Pakistan army had undertaken this exercise in the past few days with a definite objective." However, "we still do notknow what the objective behind the conspiracy is," he said, adding that the infiltrators would be flushed out soon.
Air vice-marshal SK Malik and general JJ Singh, who briefed the press, declined to comment on the defence minister's statement. "I have no comment to make," said Singh.
Giving details about Friday's air operation on the high-mountain ridge, they said it was occupied by infiltrators along with Pakistani army regulars. It was cleared of tents, bunkers and stores after Indian jets and helicopters sprayed ammunition around 11 am on Friday.
Stressing that presence of Pakistani army regulars proved their complicity and design beyond any doubt, both Malik and Singh said: "We have been operating in a very self-restrained manner and using air power in a confined and difficult terrain. But the Pakistanis are provoking us to escalate the conflict."
Following shooting down of the helicopter, the army and air force authorities will be reviewing some of the options of evicting the infiltrators,the spokesman said. In other words, they might consider changing their strategy.
Answering questions, the spokesmen admitted that stinger missiles were smaller in size which could be carried on shoulders at that height.
Despite the difficult terrain, they maintained that the area occupied by the armed mercenaries was rapidly shrinking with Indian troops now holding most of the ridge lines and concurrently launching eviction operations.
Quoting intelligence reports, the spokesmen said the Pakistani army positions behind the infiltrators were finding it extremely difficult to provide the intruders with medical aid, food and ammunition.
As the intruders were finding it difficult to stay put in the Kargil sector, there were attempts by the Pakistani army to infiltrate mercenaries from other areas.
Meanwhile, India has formally asked Pakistan to return its "captured" pilot and send back the body of the "killed" pilot. The air-force authorities, however, still continued to categorise the two pilots,flight lieutenant K Nachiketa and squadron leader Ajay Ahuja as "missing", Malik said. "We have no means of confirming details about the pilots. But since Pakistan is claiming to have one captured and one dead pilot with them, they should immediately return them," he said.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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