| Sonic boom suspected after Pakistan panic |
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was responsible for a loud noise that caused panic in the capital Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi.Television channels flashed reports of two blasts being heard and the sound rattled windows in both cities, which have experienced a number of suicide bombings blamed on Taliban militants in recent months.
Pakistan Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Humayun Waqar Jaffer said there were no flights over the city at the time "however flying activity was being conducted as per routine training programmes at nearby bases."
The nearest base to Islamabad is at Kamra, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of here.
"There could be a possibility that in case of crossing the sound barrier, a sonic boom could have reached this place (Islamabad) in clear weather conditions," Jaffer told.
"We are checking it because it is still not confirmed that it happened like this."
In September 2004, the air force confirmed that a fighter jet on a test flight from the Kamra base was responsible for a "supersonic boom" which also caused panic in the capital.
Pakistan has been on alert in recent days due to an operation against militants near the northwestern city of Peshawar and an announcement by Taliban rebels that they had halted peace talks with the government.
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