External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj interacts with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at an all-party meeting after IAF’s pre-dawn strike on JeM camp. (PTI Photo)An all-party meet on the pre-dawn air strikes operation by the Indian Air Force against the “biggest training camp” of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad’s (JeM) in Balakot was held on Tuesday in which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj briefed the leaders of opposition parties. IAF surgical strike LIVE Updates
She said that she was happy to see all parties united together over the strike. “All the parties praised the security forces and supported the government’s anti-terror operations,” she was quoted as saying by ANI.
EAM @SushmaSwaraj speaking after the All Party Meeting convened on anti-terror strike on JeM training camp in Balakot pic.twitter.com/Tg1tZp6HSR
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 26, 2019
According to reports, Swaraj also informed the opposition leaders in the meeting that she has spoken to US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo over the Indian Air Force strike.
Explained | After India strike, what can be Pakistan’s options?
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also lauded the IAF airstrikes. “We have appreciated the efforts by the forces, they always have our support to end terrorism. Another good thing is that it was a clean operation which specifically targeted terrorists and terror camps,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Leaders cutting across party lines lauded Tuesday’s IAF strike when the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighters destroyed a major Jaish terror camp across the Line of Control. The opposition had spoken in one voice in condemning the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi was among the first politicians to react to the early morning strike. Other leaders including BJP president Amit Shah, party leader Ram Madhav, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, too, tweeted congratulating the armed forces for striking terror camp.
Earlier in the day, India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told media: “Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary.”
Following the strike this morning, the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security met at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, following which Gokhale addressed the media.
“In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated,” Gokhale said.
