\'All options\' with India in case of another attack;Balakot strike showed \'will\, capacity\':Officials

'All options' with India in case of another attack;Balakot strike showed 'will, capacity':Officials

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

will have "all options" available in case there is another cross-border terror attack, government sources asserted on Tuesday while maintaining that New Delhi's counter-terror strikes in were intended to demonstrate the "capacity and will" to act against in

The highly-placed sources, however, refused to give number of human casualties in the air strikes by IAF jets last week even though there has been a raging debate on the issue.

Briefing reporters last week on the strike, the had said "a very large number of terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated", while the government sources said 350 terrorists were killed. Later, put the toll at 250.

Amidst suggesting minimal damage during these air strikes, opposition parties have been clamouring for clarity.

Sources said has shared with the US the evidence of use of F16 fighter jet by during retaliatory aerial combat a day after the Balakot strike and was confident that the US is investigating the matter.

"Our efforts in the coming days will be to see that there is demonstrable action on the part of Pakistan to deal with there. If this a 'naya' Pakistan with a 'naya soch' (new thought process), we expect to see 'naya' action on the ground. Not simply words", a top government source said, referring to Pakistan Imran Khan's much publicised 'Naya Pakistan' slogan.

The source said the Pakistani government's objective, at the moment, is simply to pretend to the international community that it is taking steps. "We will not allow them to do this. Our effort and focus is to reach out to all members of the to explain to Pakistan's ploy", the source added.

Sources also observed that Pakistan has gone to all seeking mediation to defuse the standoff with but no country has heeded to their request.

A number of world leaders have spoken to Narendra Modi, and the assessment is that there is "solid support and understanding" of India's position, sources said, adding sufficient pressure was put on to release Wing immediately.

"No country has offered any mediation in the matter. We have made it clear that this is not an India-Pakistan issue. This is an issue of terrorism," said a source.

Sources also dubbed as a "total lie" the Pakistan's claim that it has shot down an Indian 30 fighter jet during the aerial dogfight on February 27.

They said India believes Islamabad's strategy is to keep its public in a heightened state of fear so that they do not ask awkward questions.

On reports in Pakistan about minimal impact of India's strike on camp in Balakot, sources said if there is no damage then why Pakistani media is not being taken to the site of the operation.

Referring to the interviews given by Pakistan to and the BBC, sources said it has emerged from these interactions that there are people in who not only know where UN-proscribed is, but are also in touch with him.

In one of the interviews, the described Azhar as the of the JeM and there was no denial to this by the Pakistan which is significant from the point of view of efforts to list him as global terrorists by the UN, sources added.

Earlier, had suggested that Azhar is no longer the of JeM and is a

If Azhar gets banned by the UN, Pakistan will get into a difficult situation as he has been residing there as per the Pakistan foreign minister's admission.

Sources had said on Monday the has kept all its bases in Western sector on maximum alert after the Balakot strike on February 26.

India's air strike, which the government had called a "non-military" action, followed a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & on February 14, in which 40 personnel were killed. JeM had taken the responsibility for the attack.

On Organisation of Islamic passing a resolution on even after attended its pleanary in last week, sources said anti-India resolutions were tabled by Pakistan and the practice of the grouping has been to adopt all resolutions without a debate.

They said efforts to stop Pakistan to move a resolution would have given it veto on India's participation at the meeting of the grouping.

Meanwhile, in Pakistani for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced arrest of Masood Azhar's son and brother along with 42 other members of the banned militant outfits, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating on its soil.

said Hammad Azhar and Mufti were among those arrested on Tuesday. Hammad is the son of while Rauf is his brother.

Khan said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Rauf and Hammad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, March 05 2019. 20:50 IST