The Pakistani army announced Sunday that it had shot down another Indian “spy” quadcopter along the disputed Kashmir border, where the two countries’ forces have long been engaged in nearly daily firing. The Indian quadcopter downed by Pakistan was alleged to have been carrying out espionage activities on the Pakistani side of the border.
Pakistan downs 'spying' Indian quadcopterhttps://t.co/YRTRhX6MJ4 pic.twitter.com/iHhDe1wVcF
— Yeni Şafak English (@yenisafakEN) June 29, 2020
Pakistan and India are currently facing the worst diplomatic relations since their last war in 1999. Years of diplomatic rapprochement have been undone by the revocation of Article 370, pertaining to Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s status, by the incumbent Modi administration. This development has lead to the nuclear armed neighbours being at loggerheads with each other, which has become a cause for concern for the world community.
Indian quadcopter downed by Pakistan: the incident
“Pakistan Army troops shot down an Indian spying quadcopter in the Hot Spring sector along the LoC,” the military said in a statement, referring to the Line of Control, a de facto border that splits the picturesque Himalayan valley between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Read more: India martyrs four in Kashmir shelling: Pakistan
”The quadcopter had intruded 850 meters on Pakistan’s side of the LoC,” the statement added.
Pakistan downs Indian spy quadcopter near LoC: It intruded 500 meters into the Pakistani territory https://t.co/FHFVFflBil pic.twitter.com/PRTbVInx35
— World Breaking News (@vanmark5) June 5, 2020
It was the ninth Indian quadcopter shot down by Pakistani troops this year, according to the military.
Indian quadcopter downed by Pakistan: follows diplomatic feud
Earlier, longtime rivals India and Pakistan on Tuesday announced they have decided to reduce by half staff at each other’s High Commissions, in yet another sign of escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan and India are to cut diplomatic staff following a recent downturn in their already sour relations.
“The Government of India has taken the decision to reduce the staff strength in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50%. It would reciprocally reduce its own presence in Islamabad to the same proportion.
Read more: India martyrs four in Kashmir shelling: Pakistan
This decision, which is to be implemented in seven days, was conveyed to the Pakistani Charge d’Affaires,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires Haider Shah was summoned on Tuesday to the Ministry of External Affairs a week after two Indian embassy staff were briefly detained in Islamabad following an alleged hit-and-run incident.
Pakistan wants Indians blacklisted at UNSC
Pakistan on Wednesday expressed “disappointment” over US blocking of a proposal by the UN Security Council’s sanction committee to proscribe an Indian national. Pakistan wanted the UNSC to list four Indians as terrorists.
“We are disappointed that Pakistan’s proposal to designate Venumadhav Dongara as a terrorist has been objected to,” a Foreign Ministry statement said without naming the US.
Read more: Pakistan demands UNSC to list 4 Indians as terrorists: US blocks
China and Pakistan had proposed the designation of four Indian nationals, working in Afghanistan, in 2019 under the UN 1267 Sanctions List, Pakistan had provided evidence first to Afghanistan and then to the international body that these four Indians working under the cover of routine engineers were involved in supporting acts of terrorism inside Pakistan.
Pakistan flays India for Kashmir citizenship amendment
Earlier, Pakistan rejected the granting of domicile certificates to thousands of Indian nationals Saturday in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, characterizing it as an attempt to change the demographic structure of the disputed region.
As many as 25,000 people have been granted domicile certificates in the territory since New Delhi introduced a controversial law in May.
Read more: Pakistan rejects Kashmir citizenship for Indians
Eligible non-locals, along with those who have lived in Indian-administered Kashmir for 15 years, or studied for seven years and appeared in class 10th or 12th examinations in a local school, can apply for the certificate under the new law.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the grant of domicile certificates of Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) by the Indian authorities to reportedly 25,000 Indian nationals,” said a statement by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
Kashmiris, it said, also rejects the “bogus domicile certificates.”
India-Pakistan relations: the picture so far
Long-fraught relations between the two arch-rivals plummeted further following India’s scrapping of the disputed region’s longstanding special status last August.
Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars — in 1948, 1965 and 1971 — two of them over Kashmir.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk
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