Pakistan Fired On Indian Plane

Pakistani troops fired on an Indian plane that strayed into Pakistan's airspace, a government spokesman said Monday. Major-General Rashid Qureshi told a news briefing in Islamabad the plane crossed back into Indian airspace, where it was fired upon by Indian forces.

"It did cross...and it did take fire," Qureshi said. "It...crossed back into Indian airspace. Their own troops fired at it. I think a very senior air force officer was on board."

Qureshi said the incident occured "around two weeks ago."

India and Pakistan are locked in a tense military standoff with hundreds of thousands troops massed along their borders. There has long been tension, but a bloody attack on the Indian parliament on Dec. 13, which India blamed partly on Pakistan's support of militants, pushed the sides to the brink of war.

"When forces are so close to the borders, eyeball to eyeball...there are chances of mishaps," Qureshi said. "Such incidents will happen once you get forces so close to each other and that's why Pakistan has insisted time and again that in order to de-escalate, the first thing that must be done is withdrawal of these forces."

India says it will not pull back until Pakistan stops what it India calls "cross-border terrorism" by Pakistan-based Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in the 45 percent of disputed Kashmir controlled by New Delhi. Pakistan rules around a third of Kashmir, and China the remainder.

Pakistani calls for peace talks have been rebuffed by India. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, since independence from Britain in 1947.