Soviet Air Chief refused flight over Pakistan
From Our Special Correspondent, NEW DELHI, Oct. 30.-In an unprecedented move, Pakistan today refused the fight over its territory of a Soviet plane which brought the Soviet Air Chief. Air Marshal P. S. Koutakhov, here this afternoon. The Pakistani refusal to allow the over flight was the reason why he could reach here today and not yesterday. The plane was routed via Iran and flew over the Arabian Sea, thereby bypassing Pakistan.
This, in itself, was a measure of the developments in the Indian subcontinent, and the growing antipathy in Pakistan, vis-a-vis, the Soviet Union, because of Russia’s friendship with India.
It was learnt that the invoking by India of the defence clauses in the recently-concluded Indo-Soviet treaty was the reason behind Pak denial of the over flight.
This, however, had not prevented the Soviet Air Marshal reaching New Delhi this afternoon. He was accorded a red carpet reception, which included a guard of honour.
The Soviet Air marshal has with him several aides, including Lt. Gen. V. V. Filopov, Deputy Engineer-in-Chief, Soviet Army, and Maj. Gen. Yefmodyavev, Deputy Chief of Air Staff. The inclusion of an engineer in the team indicated that the Air Marshal’s visit was linked with certain aspects of India’s defence, in the background of threats of attack by Pakistan.
A Deputy Chief of Air Staff is expected to be aware of the subject of the prospects of air attack and defence in the sub-continent, and a Deputy Engineer-in-Chief with problems related to technological coefficrent in the Indian Army in the case of a war with Pakistan.
It must be pointed out that the Indian Defence Ministry and the Soviet Embassy here were equally secretive in releasing the names of those who have accompanied the Soviet Air Marshal. This is something uncommon in the capital when an official visit takes place.
This encourage the speculation in the capital that the Air Marshal’s visit is definitely connected with war threats by Pakistan and that with India’s desire to certain assistance from the Soviet Union in the air combat sphere, because of war threats from Pakistan.
Unconfirmed reports already say. India has strengthened her air force by sophisticated varieties of MIGs from the Soviet Union and that India wants Soviet help for acquiring more of air-to-air misiles and powerful ground-to-air rockets.
In the perspective of the Pakistani threat, there are reasons why India should be equipped with such weapons. But the Soviet Union, it seems, wants to be satisfied about the demand.
India has air missiles, but not the land-based powerful rockets which, aided by raders, can successfully tackle, as they had done in Egypt.
Mrs. Gandhi had denied in Vienna that India had asked rockets from the Soviet Union. But this did not preclude discussion here between our defence wing and the Soviet Air Chief on this pressing subject.
It India so wants, the Soviet Air Marshal may examine India’s need for certain kind of offensive military aircraft which the Soviet Union nianufactures.
Air Marshal Koutakhov called on the Defence Minister, Mr. Jagivan Ram, and earlier on the India Air Chief. Mr. P. C. Lal. The fact that his first engagement was with the Defence Minister, should, in itself, he eloquent.
He would be here for six days.
On arrival at Palam Airport, Air Marshal P. S. Koulakhov was received by Air Chief Marshal Lal. Air Marshal Shivdev Singh. Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal M. M. Ongineer. Air Office Commanding-inChief. Western Air Command. Dr. Vil K. Boldyrev, Russian Charged Affaires in India, Major General A. A. Popov, Russian Military, Naval and Air attache and large number of Russian Embassy Staff, Russian citizens and Air Force Officers.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 31.10.1971