New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting here to discuss internal security, border management and an early morning air strike by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Indian military installations, a day after the Indian Air Force (IAF) bombed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) biggest training camp at Balakot in Pakistan.
The issues discussed in the meeting included the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence inputs after Tuesday’s air strike and the further strategies to be taken, said sources. Singh also reviewed border security in the meeting attended by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Anil Kumar Dhasmana and Director Generals (DGs)of paramilitary forces.
The Home Minister discussed the level of threat scaled up on all borders and directed to issue high alert on the Western border with Pakistan, said sources. Singh asked the DGs of the Border Security Force to keep their personnel on high alert mode and share every single activity happening in the area under their control.
He also took stock of Pakistan’s early morning air strikes at military installations on the Indian side, in which the IAF lost one of its MiG 21 fighter jets while one IAF pilot, identified as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured by Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated to India’s counter terrorism air strike on the JeM training camp at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the basis of credible evidence that the terror outfit intended to launch more suicide bombings like the Pulwama attack on February 14 that claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.
Singh was apprised about how Pakistan’s efforts were foiled due to the Indian force’s high state of readiness and alertness. He was informed that the movements by the Pakistan Air Force were detected soon after it attempted to attack and the IAF responded instantly in which one PAF fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the IAF.