• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=5/28/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-249947
TITLE=PAK / INDIA WRECKAGE (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=KASHMIR
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:   PAKISTAN SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE TO GUARD ITS TERRITORY 
FROM INDIAN INTRUSION AS TENSIONS RISE ALONG THE DISPUTED BORDER 
IN KASHMIR.  IN THE MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT BETWEEN THE TWO 
COUNTRIES IN MORE THAN A DECADE, PAKISTAN SHOT DOWN TWO INDIAN 
FIGHTER PLANES CAPTURING ONE OF THE PILOTS ALIVE.  FROM THE 
DISPUTED BORDER REGION, CORRESPONDENT SCOTT ANGER REPORTS.
TEXT:   THE WRECKAGE OF AN INDIAN MIG FIGHTER PLANE LIES IN A 
REMOTE AREA JUST A FEW KILOMETERS FROM THE LINE OF CONTROL, BUT 
WELL WITHIN RANGE OF INDIAN ARTILLERY POSITIONS.
               ///SOUND OF ARTILLERY EXPLOSION///
A FEW KILOMETERS AWAY LIES THE WRECKAGE OF A SECOND FIGHTER PLANE
SHOT DOWN BY  PAKISTANI ANTI-AIRCRAFT WEAPONS AFTER THEY CROSSED 
INTO PAKISTAN'S AIRSPACE THURSDAY.  PAKISTANI ARMY GENERAL NUSRAT
SIAL POINTS OUT CHUNKS OF WRECKAGE SCATTERED ALONG THE STEEP BANK
OF THE INDUS RIVER.
                         ///SIAL ACT///
         MOST OF IT HAS GONE DOWN THE RIVER BUT YOU CAN SEE THE 
         WRECKAGE.  FROM HERE, THE WRECKAGE AREA STARTS.  THIS 
         SEEMS TO BE SOME PIECE OF THE ENGINE OF SOME INTERNAL 
         CIRCUITS.
                          ///END ACT///
THE TAIL SECTION OF THE PLANE, PAINTED WITH THE TRI-COLORED 
INDIAN FLAG,RESTS ON A LEDGE AT ABOUT THREE-THOUSAND METERS.  THE
PILOT OF THIS PLANE EJECTED BUT HAS NOT BEEN FOUND.  THE PILOT OF
THE SECOND FIGHTER PLANE ALSO EJECTED AND IS BEING HELD BY 
PAKISTAN'S MILITARY.  A GROUP OF JOURNALISTS VIEWED THE CAPTURE 
PILOT FROM A DISTANCE BUT WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK HIM QUESTIONS. 
INDIA HAS DEMANDED THE PILOT BE RETURNED BUT PAKISTAN SAYS HE IS 
BEING HELD AS A PRISONER OF WAR.
THE DOWNING OF THE TWO INDIAN PLANES MARK A SHARP RISE IN TENSION
AS INDIA CONTINUES TO WAGE AN AIR CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMED MUSLIM 
INSURGENTS ON THE INDIAN SIDE OF THE LINE OF CONTROL.
IT HAS BEEN NEARLY 20 YEARS SINCE KASHMIR HAS SEEN CONFLICT THIS 
INTENSE.  INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE FOUGHT TWO WARS OVER THE REGION
IN THE LAST 50 YEARS.  PAKISTAN'S PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF HAS
TOLD HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART,ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE, THE BITTER 
DISPUTE OVER KASHMIR CANNOT BE RESOLVED WITHOUT TALKS AND HAS 
OFFERED TO SEND FOREIGN MINISTER SARTAJ AZIZ TO NEWDELHI. MR. 
SHARIF HAS WARNED THAT PAKISTAN WILL SHOOT DOWN ANY OTHER 
AIRCRAFT VIOLATING ITS AIRSPACE.  (SIGNED)
EB/SA/PT
28-May-99 6:30 PM EDT (2230 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.