One of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots who repelled the Pakistani incursion is Missing in Action (MIA)., the MEA said.Pakistan fighter jets crossed over to the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday with the objective to strike military installations in the Rajouri-Naushera sector in Jammu-Kashmir, The Indian Express has learnt.
The bombs dropped by the Pakistan jets, however, missed their intended target — presumably an ammunition point, a supply point, a brigade headquarters and a battalion headquarters in the area.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, confirming the violation of Indian airspace, at a press briefing in New Delhi said: “Due to our high state of readiness and alertness, Pak’s attempts were foiled successfully.”
What the MEA has also confirmed was that one of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots who repelled the Pakistani incursion is Missing in Action (MIA). In a brief, prepared statement, the MEA said a Pakistani aircraft was shot by a MiG Bison and it was seen falling from the sky on Pakistan side.
The MEA statement disputes the Pakistani version of the sequence of today’s events.
1) IAF Pilot captured?
A Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force, the MEA said.What Pakistan claims:
At a press briefing earlier, Pakistan Armed Forces spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor claimed Pakistan shot down two Indian aircrafts “inside Pakistani airspace” and ground forces arrested two Indian pilots. One of the Indian aircraft fell inside Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir while the other fell on the Indian side of the border, he said.
“Our ground forces arrested two pilots; one of them was injured and has been shifted to CMH (Combined Military Hospital) and God willing he will be taken care of,” said the army official. “The other one is with us,” he said.
The Pakistan Army also released a video in which an IAF pilot is seen identifying himself as Wing Commander Abhinandan.
How India countered:
While India acknowledged that one of its MiG Pilots is MIA, it also said the IAF shot down a Pakistani aircraft.
“The Pakistan Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded instantly. In that aerial engagement, one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force. The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on Pakistan side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21. The pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts,” MEA statement read.
2) Airspace violation?
Due to our high state of readiness and alertness, Pakistan’s attempts were foiled successfully, the MEA said.What Pakistan claims:
The PAF acted from within Pakistan airspace and it struck “non-military” targets. “Today morning, Pakistan Air Force engaged with six targets at the LoC. Because we are a responsible state and want peace, we decided that we will not use any military target.”
“As a result of engaging our target, no human life was affected. Staying within our jurisdiction, six targets were locked. And we carried out the strike,” said the army spokesperson.
They claimed that today’s saber-rattling was only to demonstrate its prowess.
“We engaged a nearby open space where there were no human lives or military posts. We deliberately avoided the escalation. We only wanted to demonstrate that we could have easily taken the original target, which was their administrative setup and military post. But we did not do that,” Ghafoor said.
How India countered:
The MEA notes that Pakistan used its air force to target military installation on the Indian side and IAF responded instantly.
“India had informed about Counter Terrorism (CT) action it took yesterday against a training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan based on credible evidence that JeM intended to launch more attack. Against this Counter Terrorism Action, Pakistan has responded this morning by using its Air Force to target military installations on the Indian side. Due to our high state of readiness and alertness, Pakistan’s attempts were foiled successfully. The Pakistan Air Force was detected and Indian Air Force responded instantly,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
