Agencies
Jammu, February 27:
Airports in Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Pathankot have been told to be high alert after an Indian Air Force fighter jet crashed in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday morning and amid escalation of cross-Line of Control shelling between armies of India and Pakistan.
The airspace here has been suspended due to security reasons.
Many commercial flights have also been put on hold.
“The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency,” an official of the Airport Authority of India told news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
While the official did not specify the nature of the emergency, it is believed the step was taken in view of an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet crashing in Budgam district this morning.
As per reports, two pilots are feared dead in the crash that has taken place a day after Indian security forces struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province around 80 kilometres from the Line of Control and killed a large number of terrorists.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after the IAF crossed the border to destroy terror camps.
The flare up in the cross-LoC shelling, which was initiated by Pakistani troops in early hours of Wednesday has also resulted in security forces and other establishments being put on a heightened alert.
Earlier, in the day Indian security forces killed two terrorists with links to Jaish-e-Mohammed in an encounter in Shopian.
A gunfight had broken out between security forces and terrorists early Wednesday morning in Shopian district.
Three terrorists were believed to be involved in the encounter that began at 4.20 am. The firing, however, stopped around 8.30 am after which a search operation was launched in the area.
Five soldiers of the Indian Army were injured in the encounter in Shopian and added that two of these soldiers were taken to a military hospital for treatment and are in stable condition.
