International Business Times
Vasudevan Sridharan
July 19, 2015
An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier patrols near the fenced border with Pakistan in Suchetgarh, southwest of Jammu.(Mukesh Gupta/Reuters)
The drone shot down by Pakistani military, which was earlier claimed to have been an Indian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), has turned out to be of Chinese origin.
The embarrassment to Islamabad authorities has come just after the Chinese reports reveal the doomed drone was the Chinese-made DJI Phantom-3.
The Shanghai-based website Observer was cited by Beijing’s state-run media outlet, People’s Daily as confirming the drone shot down “by Pakistani military was recognised in Beijing as the Chinese-made DJI Phantom 3”.
The report went on to say: “Observer says the drone sells for $1,200 each,” adding that it is the “most powerful and most accessible” drone till date.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, India and Pakistan simmer in the recent weeks amid ceasefire violations in the bordering region. The drone incident has also raised serious concerns despite the prime ministers of both the countries held a meeting on the sidelines of the Ufa summit.
The Pakistani military earlier said: “An Indian spy drone was shot down by Pakistani troops which intruded into Pakistan along [the Line of Control] near Bhimber today. The spy drone is used for aerial photography.” Islamabad also summoned the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan over the episode.
Nevertheless, the claim was immediately refuted by the Indian authorities saying the aircraft did not belong to the Indian forces.
New Delhi’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said: “We have seen the pictures. It looks like a Chinese drone, available off the shelf. It is not of Indian design, not of any unmanned aerial vehicle category held in Indian inventory.”
It has also come at a time Pakistan and China are strategically moving closer towards each other strengthening their bilateral ties.
