NEW DELHI, India ? Pakistani jets shot down an unmanned Indian spy plane late Friday, Pakistan’s military said, shortly after a U.S. envoy declared tensions between the two nations had eased but not enough to eliminate the threat of war.

An air force statement released in Islamabad, Pakistan, said the plane was shot down about 11 p.m. and crashed near Raja Jang south of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city.

Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Quereshi said the incident was the latest example of India’s “complete disregard” for “international norms.”

Quereshi said Pakistan wanted a decrease in tensions “but if Indian aggression is launched, Pakistan will defend itself.”

The developments contrasted with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage’s assessment of cautious optimism as he met earlier in the evening with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a day after he saw Pakistan’s president in Islamabad.

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh earlier insisted that India did not want war.