Diplomacy between India, Pakistan hit by China-made 'spy' drone: All you need to know

Just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia, tensions are on the rise in the India-Pakistan border with repeated ceasefire violations. After the Pakistani Rangers fired at BSF outposts in Jammu on Wednesday in two separate incidents, there were reports of an alleged Indian drone infiltrating Pakistani airspace later on the same day. The Pakistan army shot down the drone and claimed that it was aimed at ‘spying’. [caption id=“attachment_2345760” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AP[/caption] What Pakistan said The Pakistan army shot down the said drone and claimed that it was a ‘spy’ which was being used for aerial photography near the Line of Control. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a brief statement, said the Indian drone was brought down near the Line of Control in Bhimber area of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. What India said The Indian Army, however, rejected the claims of any spying and said that drone didn’t belong to India. A spokesperson of the Indian Army said: “Some reports of a drone crash in PoK are being referred to. No drone or UAV crash of the Indian Army has taken place.” An Indian Air Force spokesperson also denied that any of their drone has been brought down. According to an IBNLive report, Intelligence sources have said that the drone in the picture is a Chinese made DJI Phantom 3, and that India doesn’t buy any drones from China. The source also called Pakistan’s claim bizarre and said that India would respond through appropriate diplomatic channels. What Congress said:  Even the Congress stepped in to term Pakistan’s act as ‘vengeance’ and added that the agreement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Nawaz Sharif has not been accepted by the army or the people of the country, over the recent ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir. “Pakistan is acting with vengeance. The agreement arrived between the Prime Ministers of both the countries has not been accepted by the army the people of Pakistan,” said Congress leader P.C Chacko. Diplomatic reactions On Thursday, Pakistan summoned India’s High Commissioner to Foreign Office in Islamabad and lodged strong protest over “air space violation” by the alleged Indian “spy” drone near the Line of Control and “ceasefire violation”. High Commissioner TCA Raghavan was called to the Foreign Office by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry to lodge the protest over air space violation at Banchirian Sector near LoC yesterday, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office. This summons come on the back of India lodging a protest with the Pakistan High Commission after another violation by Pakistani Rangers in Jammu on Thursday, which lead to further exchange of fire between them and BSF jawans. According to TV reports, the Indian envoy has made it clear that Pakistan was the first to shoot and that the Indian forces responded to their initial firirng. The  IBNLive report states that, “pressure groups and Army including the ISI seem to be putting pressure on the Nawaz Sharif government not to go ahead with talks.” It also quotes sources in the Indian government saying that the attacks by Pakistan are not a coincidence but a deliberate attempt to derail the peace process. Made in China drone Meanwhile, there are certain reports that allege that the spy drone belonged to Pakistan and not India. Media reports claimed that such drones are used by the Pakistan Police to monitor traffic, thereby opening up the possibility of the Pakistan Army having shot down one of its own drones. A report in Zee said Phantom drones can be bought off the shelf by anyone, including civilians – it’s of little use for the military. In July, another drone had crashed near the working boundary in Shakargarh sector, which was taken into custody by Pakistani security forces. The drone was operated by Pakistan Rangers, it was later clarified. Earlier in May, a pigeon which crossed the Indo-Pak border into India’s Pathankot area was captured and detained for being a ‘suspected spy’. And. here’s the Twitter verdict:

Calling a $1,000 quadcopter a `spy drone' though it might have some photographing capability is a real stretch: http://t.co/VSdviu6DIK

— Govindraj Ethiraj (@govindethiraj) July 16, 2015

If this is really the "Indian Spy Drone" Pak claims to have shot down, it must've strayed from Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots http://t.co/MvR3WEerfv

— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) July 16, 2015

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Reportedly Pakistan military has shot down an Indian Spy drone. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARREST OUR PIGEONS!!

— Changez Khan (@iChangezKhan) July 15, 2015

What's the story- "#Indian Drone" shot down by Pak? India using cheaper Chinese drones4 deniability. Pak's own drone crash being used4 PR.

— K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) July 16, 2015

Pakistan,
You've shot down a China-made hobby drone, probably filming some terrorist's shaadi in PoK. Not an Indian drone. Hold the jizz.

— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) July 15, 2015

(With agency inputs)