(This was originally posted in Hindustan Times by Rezaul H Laskar)
A drone was spotted over the Indian high commission complex in the Pakistani capital over the weekend, prompting New Delhi to formally protest to Islamabad over what is being seen as a security breach. The drone was seen within the complex at a time when an event was being held at the mission, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity on Friday. Further details were not immediately available.
India lodged a formal protest over the incident through a note verbale or unsigned diplomatic correspondence, the people cited above said. The Indian mission is located within the fortified diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, across a key road that runs in front of Pakistan’s Foreign Office. A residential complex for staffers of the mission is located a short distance from the high commission. The entire diplomatic enclave is heavily guarded by Pakistani security forces and there is another layer of security near the Indian mission.
The incident in Islamabad coincided with the drone attack on an Indian Air Force base at Jammu on June 27 – the first-ever offensive use of unmanned aerial vehicles to target an Indian military facility. While the IAF has officially confirmed that two low-intensity explosions took place in the technical area of Jammu air force station, senior officials and experts said the attack appeared to have been carried out using drones and marked a new chapter in Pakistan’s proxy war against India in Jammu and Kashmir.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had raised the issue of drones being used by terrorists at the recent meeting of NSAs of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Doval had specifically referred to the need to monitor new technologies used by terrorists including drones for smuggling of weapons.
