Indian Army's Drone Drifts Into Pakistan's Nikial Sector, Force Requests Return

An Indian Army drone malfunctioned during a training exercise and drifted into Pakistani territory.

A Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) belonging to the Indian Army, which was on a training mission within Indian territory, experienced a technical malfunction at 9.25 am on Friday and inadvertently drifted into the Nikial Sector of Pakistan, opposite India's Bhimber Gali Sector. According to media reports, Pakistani troops have since recovered the UAV.

According to news agency ANI, the Indian Army confirmed the incident and noted that a hotline message had been sent to the Pakistan Army, requesting the return of the UAV.

An official stated, “The UAV was on a test training sortie in the hinterland of the Bhimber Gali area. A hotline message has been sent to the Pakistan Army to return the UAV”, news agency PTI reported.

Indian Army Nabs Lashkar-E-Taiba Terror Group Guide In J-K's Poonch: Report

In a separate but significant development, the Indian Army has apprehended a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) identified as Zaher Hussein Shah, who is reportedly a guide for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group. This arrest took place in Poonch, according to police sources cited by ANI.

Efforts to counter the resurgence of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir have led to significant redeployments by the Indian Army and security agencies. In response to the Pakistan Army’s attempts to revive terrorism in the region, more than 10 battalions and over 500 Special Forces operatives have been deployed in the higher reaches south of the Pir Panjal range. These deployments are part of a strategy to conduct search and destroy operations aimed at dismantling terrorist networks.

ANI Sources revealed that the Indian Army is focusing on searching forested areas and natural caves, as well as man-made underground hideouts, to locate and neutralise terrorists. The emphasis is on preventing these operatives from descending into civilian areas and targeting both civilians and security forces.

The security apparatus in the Jammu division, including Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, and Doda districts, has been bolstered with the introduction of armoured vehicles and mine-protected vehicles. The local human intelligence grid has also been strengthened with the induction of new police officials, and central police forces have increased their presence and activities in the region.

Recent efforts have also included identifying local over-ground workers and terrorist sympathisers, with measures in place to address support for terrorists from some locals. The top Army leadership has been actively engaged in assessing and addressing the terror situation in the area.