20000404

ICJ starts hearing of Pak plane downing case

THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings here on Monday to determine whether it holds jurisdiction over a case brought by Pakistan against India for the downing of a navy plane in August.

Pakistan lodged a compensation claim on September 21, arguing that its plane was on a routine training mission when it was shot down on August 10 in Pakistani airspace, killing all 16 personnel on board.

"India is responsible for the deliberate shooting of an unarmed aircraft inside Pakistan's territory, causing the death of sixteen young men," said Aziz Munshi, Pakistan's attorney-general.

"The wreckage of the plane was about two kilometers (over a mile) inside Pakistan territory which is a clear proof that when the aircraft was shot it was well within Pakistan's air space," Islamabad said in its petition.

India will present its arguments on Tuesday. APP