Pakistani chopper that violated Indian airspace was carrying PoK PM Raja Farooq Haider Khan

Pakistani chopper that violated the Indian airspace along the line of control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday was reportedly carrying the Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Raja Farooq Haider Khan.

The helicopter, carrying the PoK PM violated the airspace around 12:10 pm.

According to reports, the chopper hovered over the Indian airspace in Gulpur sector for sometime before turning back. Three forward posts fired small arms after noticing the airspace violation.

Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said that air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms.

Kashmir’s prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan was travelling in this chopper when Indain Forces Open Fire... These Pics From My Home Town Haveli LOC Pir Panjal Area Poonch Kashmir.#AJK #kashmir #farooqHaider #Indianfiring #kashmiri #Rajafarooqhaider pic.twitter.com/Wv6n0o547R

— Haider Sherazi (@ImHaiderSherazi) September 30, 2018

A Pakistani Twitter user, Raja Shahzad, confirmed the development by claiming that the PoK leader's helicopter near the Line of Control (LoC) was fired at by the Indian Army. 

Narrow escape! PoK PM Raja Farooq Haider looks relieved after his chopper that violated Indian air space in Poonch landed safely in Kahuta, Haveli sectoron the Pak side pic.twitter.com/EZOKVwSkBc

— Abhishek Bhalla (@AbhishekBhalla7) September 30, 2018

Coward Indian army’s firing on PM AJK Raja Farooq Haider Khan privat helicopter near Forward Kahuta LOC Alhamdu lillah our pm helicopter safely landed pic.twitter.com/foycBqxAPX

— Raja Shahzad Pmln (@pmln_shahzad) September 30, 2018

"The Indian army fired to show that Pakistan had violated their airspace. When the firing took place, we were within our own airspace," reported Reuters quoting Farooq Haider Khan office.

Haider, it is learned, was in the area to attend the condolence meeting of his colleague. The private helicopter landed at Haveli helipad after the retaliation by the Indian Army.

The incident of the Pakistani chopper violating Indian airspace has come a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, raised the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

"The demon of terrorism now stalks the world, at a faster pace somewhere, a slower pace elsewhere, but life-threatening everywhere. In our case, terrorism is bred not in some faraway land, but across our border to the west. Our neighbor's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism; it is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity," said Swaraj.

(With agency inputs)