A Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) of the Indian Army, while on a training mission well within Indian territory, lost control due to a technical malfunction and drifted into the Nikial Sector of Pakistan opposite the Bhimber Gali Sector. According to media reports, Pakistani troops have recovered the UAV.
"At 9.25am, a Mini UAV on a training mission well within the Indian Territory lost control due to a technical malfunction and drifted into the Nikial Sector of Pakistan opposite our Bhimber Gali Sector. As per media inputs, Pak troops have recovered the same. A hotline message has been sent to the Pakistan Army to return the said UAV," said the Indian Army.
The Indian Army has promptly sent a hotline message to the Pakistan Army requesting the return of the recovered UAV. A similar incident occurred in March 2022, an accidental firing of a missile into Pakistan due to a technical glitch during routine maintenance. That incident prompted a strong protest from Pakistan and raised concerns about the safety mechanisms in place for military operations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.