Islamabad, Dec 14, IRNA , Pakistani political and defense analyst Prof Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi on Sunday termed the incident of violation of Pakistan’s airspace by Indian Air Force (IAF) as a serious development and said that it could increase the tension between the two countries.
Speaking to IRNA he said that though both the countries have tried to defuse the tension but this kind of incident does not send a positive message.
Air Commodore Humayun Viqar Zephyr, spokesman for Pakistan Air Force (PAF), told the media that Indian planes intruded into Pakistan’s airspace at two different areas, but left as soon as they were sighted PAF jets.
He said there was no cause for concern as the PAF was fully alive to the situation and capable of giving a befitting reply in case of a misadventure.
However, an Indian Air Force spokesman denied the allegation, saying ‘there has not been any airspace violation’.
Hasan Askari Rizvi in response to a question said that this kind of act is a limited military pressure tactic and it doesn’t mean that India wants to go for a war, however, he said that if this kind of incidents start happening with greater frequency the two countries could drift towards war.
Pakistan should go for a diplomatic channel in response to the incident and make sure that in future such incidents would not take place, he suggested.
Rizvi added that Pakistan Air Force is fully capable to defend its borders and can respond well to the intrusion of its air space.
The analyst was of the view that the western powers should use the diplomatic clout to defuse tension between Pakistan and India and advise the later to adopt a moderate diplomatic act.
Rizvi was a visiting professor of Pakistan Studies at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and the Allama Iqbal Professor at Heidelberg University, Germany. Until 2001, he was a Professor of Political Science at Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Rizvi obtained his MA and PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.Phil in Politics from the University of Leeds.