NEW DELHE: The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), recently, directed its member not to undertake flights to Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar citing missile threats, even as officials maintained that no such threat existed at present.

The ICPA, which had earlier held in abeyance its 20point agitational detective, issued a seven point fresh directive to its members asking them. Not to undertake flights to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab without IAF fighter escorts and also barred pilots from flying to the Sri Lankan capital ‘of Colombo, saying it was a “war zone,”

The IGPA, citing Defense Ministry reports, said that Indian Airlines lights could be attacked with shoulder fired ground to air Srinagar missiles while operating to Jammu, Srinagar and Amnisar,

The Srinagar missiles were supplied to Afghan mujahideen by the Americans in the early 80’s and these missiles were later reportedly covered by the Pakistan Army with a few being sold by renegade Afghans to bidders in the Gulf.

Though there have been press reports that some of these missiles might have been supplied by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence to some Kashmiri militant groups, the Defense.

Ministry officials here discount any such possibility at the present juncture.

The officials said “supplying of such sophisticated weapons by Pakistan to militants Would amount to grave escalation in the situation.”

CaptS.T, Deo, Director (Operations) of Indian Airlines, however, told media persons that the Airlines management had received no such reports either from the Defense Ministry or the DGGA.

“We have been operating flights to Jammu, Srinagar as well as Amritsar Without any hitch for the past. five years that militancy has been around in these places,” Capt Deo said and Dismissed the ICPA directive as another ploy by some disgruntled sections Of pilots to disrupt flight operations. Both Capt Deo and CaptJ.R. D. Rao. Deputy Managing Director of the Airline, said the Airlines Management would take disciplinary action if Any pilot refused to undertake flights from Monday. “We owe it to our customers to maintain our flight schedule. This is a commitment with us,” they added.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 11, 1995