New Delhi:
Just hours after four Indian Army personnel, onboard an Army helicopter, were detained in Pakistan after the chopper entered their airspace, reportedly due to bad weather, the issue has been resolved. Army sources say the chopper with the crew has returned to Kargil. (
Read: India tells Pakistan: We appreciate speedy return of officers, helicopter)
The row was reportedly settled after the Director General of Military Operations on both sides spoke to each other.
Army sources say the pilots will be questioned and the Global Positioning System (GPS) devices of the chopper will be analysed for the exact location and time of the incident.
The Cheetah helicopter of the Army Aviation, which was flying from Leh to Bhimbat, was first reported to have gone missing and was then escorted down by Pakistani forces. Three Indian officers, including the pilot and co-pilot, and a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) onboard were taken into custody.
The airspace violation happened at 1 pm PST in Olding in the Kargil sector in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sources say that the chopper strayed 20 kilometres inside the Pakistani territory, as claimed by the authorities there.
"The chopper strayed deep inside our territory. The crew is safe and investigations are on", General Athar Abbas, Spokesman of the Pakistan Military had said.
The Army, meanwhile, has said that the chopper's landing in Pakistan was not a deliberate intrusion.