Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan has claimed that the Indian Air Force violated the Line of Control (LoC), following which the former “scrambled” immediately.
Pakistan’s claim comes in the wake of tense relations between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. “Indian Air Force violated Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow,” the Spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted on Tuesday.
Indian Air Force violated Line of Control. Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow.
â?” Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 25, 2019
Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzafarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage.
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 26, 2019
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa had visited Pakistani troops deployed at the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and instructed them to “be ready to face any eventuality,” on Friday. Bajwa had also visited the Headquarters Rawalpindi Corps on Monday, where he was updated on the operational situation and state of readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), LoC and Working Boundary (WB).
He met with Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan at the Air Headquarters in Rawalpindi where the two chiefs “deliberated on operational environment including threat and response” and “expressed satisfaction on readiness, coordination and synergy,” according to Ghafoor.
Tensions are high between the neighbours following the ghastly February 14 attack, wherein a Jaish-e-Mohammed (Pakistan-based terror outfit) operative attacked a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Awantipora in Pulwama district on the said date, leading to the death of over 40 CRPF personnel. The attack has since been widely condemned, with the United States telling Pakistan to cease providing support and a safe haven to terrorists and terrorist outfits.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier promised “action” if “actionable intelligence” was provided by India about its links to the Pulwama terror attack. Khan had also warned of “retaliation, without even thinking,” if any kind of military action is launched by India. In response, India dubbed Khan’s statement as “a lame excuse,” asking him to stop misleading the international community.