“I think it was destiny,” Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar, who until two days ago was the boss of the Western Air Command, said reflecting on the February 26 strike by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot.

A vicious social median misinformation campaign, most likely sponsored by Pakistan, tried to imply that Hari Kumar was “sacked” for a “botched-up operation” towards end of his career.

In the last days of his service, Hari Kumar did what he had always trained for during his 40-year stint with the IAF – using air power to hit the enemy. He was part of the operations during the 1999 Kargil conflict, too, but didn’t take part in air strikes. “It was an opportunity and we had the capability,” he said. “I was all ready to go home after long years with the IAF when the orders came and I changed immediately back to an operational mode.”

Hari Kumar added, “We are always ready.” He supervised the air strike on 26 February and the next day coordinated India’s response to a counter-strike by the Pakistan Air Force. He retired on February 28 after a four-decade career during which he commanded an MiG-21 fighter squadron. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was flying an MiG-21, too, during the February 27 dogfight in which he shot down a US-made F-16 before being captured by the Pakistan army across the Line of Control in Kashmir.

“Retaliation by air for the Pulwama terror strikes that left 40 CRPF soldiers dead was the most reasonable and effective option that was available,” he said. “The plan for an aerial strike was long ready,” he said, and added, “selecting the target was the only thing that was left.”

First Published: Mar 03, 2019 08:45 IST