Pakistan’s air force closed off a major highway on Thursday (Sep 22) for its jets to practice landing on the road. The move comes during a tense period between India and Pakistan, following the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
India has accused Pakistan of being behind the recent attack on an army base in Kashmir that killed 18 soldiers. However, Pakistan has rejected the allegation saying That India is unnecessarily passing blame before the incident had been investigated properly.
Pakistan on Thursday, closed down the main highway between Islamabad and Lahore to carry out the two-day air force exercise. Pakistan Air Force spokesman Commodore Javed Mohammad Ali claims that this was just a routine exercise and was not a response to recent tensions with India.
“They landed on the road in this, yes. That is something they have been doing for years,” said Mohammad Ali. The drill was needed “in case your runways get damaged or they are not available for you,” he added.
However, another security official said that Pakistan military is on alert, in case India retaliated against the Uri attack.
Indian military’s reaction to the attack has been limited to few skirmishes near the Line Of Control.
