Feb 27, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Following the Indian strikes on terrorist training camps in Pakistan
on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a joint session of the
Parliament and also a meeting of the National Command Authority,
the country's top nuclear body, on Wednesday.
A meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by Imran Khan on Tuesday
rejected Indian claims of targeting terrorist camps in Balakot. The meeting
was attended by Army Chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa.
Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Director-General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations
(ISPR), told a press conference on Tuesday evening that the Indian claim of
eliminating 350 terrorists was fake and meant to boost electoral prospects.
"There is a joint session of the parliament tomorrow and then the Prime Minister
has summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority (nuclear body). I hope
you know what the NCA means and what it constitutes," he warned.
To a question why the Indians were not shot down, Ghafoor said they had not
remained in Pakistan air for long enough. Had India attacked military targets,
they would have retaliated, he said. "Their approaching of the border, the challenge
and their return took four minutes," he said. "
According to war methodology, our entire Air Force could not have stayed airborne.
Our safeguards on land were in place. So if they had tried an on-ground incursion,
they would have met the response that we had planned," he said.
"They are claiming that they remained in the Pakistani airspace for 21 minutes
and killed 350 terrorists," he refuted.
The Indian Air Force fighter jets had bombed and destroyed the training camps
of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakot and other places in an early morning surprise
attack on Tuesday. The strikes were carried out at 3:30 am by a dozen Mirage
2000 fighter jets. A large number of terrorists were eliminated in the non-military
strike, India had claimed.
Terror camps in Muzafarrabad and Chakoti were also hit.
