Pakistani, Indian Fighter Jets Nearly Clashed Over Kashmir

FILE IMAGE: indianexpress.com

Four Indian Rafale fighter jets conducting a petrol above the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir retreated after a “timely” response by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan TV reported on April 30.

Citing security sources, the state-run television said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets were spotted by PAF fighter jets “patrolling” the India-controlled part of Kashmir, without crossing the Line of Control (LoC).

“As a result of PAF’s diligent action, the Indian Rafale jets panicked and were forced to flee,” the report claimed.

The LoC is a military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serves as the de facto border. It was established as part of the Simla Agreement at the end of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

India’s Times Now TV confirmed that four IAF Rafale jets were flying above the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, without reporting any incidents.

“On the night of April 29-30, four Rafale jets of the IAF patrolled in the PoK area while remaining within the Indian territorial boundaries,” the Times Now reported, referring to the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir.

“Four Rafale jets conduct routine sorties along the Pakistani border,” it said in two different posts on X.

The IAF operates 36 Rafales. The fighter jets, which were delivered from France between 2020 and 2022, are armed with Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles with a range of 200 kilometers and Storm Shadow land-attack cruise missiles with a range of more than 250 kilometers.

Later, The Economic Times, another Indian news paper, reported that Pakistan deployed additional air defenses, electronic warfare systems and AN/TPS-77 radars in the Sialkot sector on the internationally-recognized border between the two countries.

The AN/TPS-77 is an American-made active electronically scanned array 3D air search radar with a range of up to 470 kilometers.

The aerial confrontation came just hours after Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar claimed that India may launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours. It also came amid sporadic clashes along the LoC and in Sialkot.

Tensions between the two nuclear powers have been on the rise since the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, which left 26 Indian civilians dead. Pakistan denied any involvement in the terrorist attack. Still, India responded harshly, expelling Pakistani diplomats, closing border crossings, and even halting a vital water-sharing agreement. The last move, never before taken even during full-scale wars.

In 2020, the two came very close to an all out war when the IAF launched a series of strikes against targets in Pakistani territories following a car bomb attack in Jammu and Kashmir, and the PAF responded by shooting down a helicopter and a fighter jet.

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