Churu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the nation that the country is in safe hands and he will never let it down. Speaking publicly for the first time after the IAF hit the terror camps, Modi was in an exuberant mood as he addressed a public rally. He even recited lines from a poem.
Saugandh mujhe hai mitti ki, main desh nahin mitne doonga, main desh nahin rukne doonga, main desh nahin jhukne doonga, saugandh mujhe hai mitti ki, main desh nahin mitne doonga, Mera wachan hai bharat maa ko, tera sheesh jhukne nahin doonga Jaag raha hai desh mera, har bharatwasi jitega, Saugandh mujhe is mitti ki, main desh nahin mitne doonga Hamein phir se dauhrana hai aur khud ko yaad dilana hai na bhatkenge na atkenge nahin kuchh bhi ho hum desh nahin mitne denge Saugandh hai mujhe is mitti ki, main desh nahin jhukne doonga.
Looking at the excited faces in the crowd — who were clearly happy that the JeM bases in Pakistan had been hit — Modi wondered why people were looking different today. He had touched a chord: the crowd immediately started chanting “Modi, Modi”. The Prime Minister made no specific mention of Pakistan or JeM.
HOW IT HAPPENED FIRST TIME SINCE 1971
This was the first time since 1971 that the IAF breached the Line of Control. Even during the Kargil war, the IAF had not done so.
HAL’S UPGRADES
12 Mirage 2000 jets, recently upgraded at HAL, took part in the operation. They dropped 1,000-kg laser-guided bombs to destroy at least six terrorist terror camps inside PoK and Balakot.
DRONE SURVEILLANCE
There was airborne surveillance by Heron drones along the Line of Control
PAK SCRAMBLED JETS
The aircraft crossed over at 3 am, even as Pakistani armed forces were on high alert. When PAF realised their folly, it scrambled its jets but the formation was not easy to tackle. By the time, more aircraft took off from Abbottabad, the operation was over and Indian jets had safely returned home.
JUST 90 SECONDS
The Balakot bombing took just about 90 seconds and the entire operation was over in 21 minutes. Government sources estimate the number of terrorists killed between 200 and 300.
BROTHER-IN-LAW DEAD
Yousuf Azhar, one of the hijackers of IC-814, may be one of those killed. He is brother-in-law of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
NON-MILITARY STRIKE
India said it was not a revenge attack but a pre-emptive strike led by intelligence inputs and was ‘non-military’ in nature.