ISLAMABAD – Indian Air Force fighter jets forced a Georgian cargo planeflying from Karachi to New Delhi to land in the northern city of Jaipur onFriday after it allegedly violated Indian airspace.
The An-12 aircraft was intercepted by two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets afterit deviated from its scheduled flight path, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
“The aircraft did not follow the authorised Air Traffic Services route andwas not responding to radio calls from Indian controlling agencies,” theIAF said in a statement.
“The aircraft was shadowed and forced to land at Jaipur for necessaryinvestigation.”
Hundreds of commercial and cargo flights have been affected by continuingtensions between India and Pakistan after their tit-for-tat air strikes inFebruary.
Restrictions over Pakistani airspace have forced international airlinesincluding those from India to take costly and lengthy detours.
Read Top Stories
The air strikes followed a suicide attack in disputed Kashmir that killed40 Indian paratroopers and ignited fears of an all-out conflict.
But a crisis was averted after Pakistan returned an Indian pilot who wasshot down and captured.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end ofBritish colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in fulland have fought two wars over it. -APP/AFP
