India claims biggest air strike inside Pakistan

PAKISTAN DENIES CASUALTIES

At least 325 terrorists and 25 trainers were at the Balakot camp, the biggest operated by the Pakistan-based Jaish-eMohammed, when the Indian forces carried out an air strike early Tuesday, times of India said last night.

However, there was no casualties due to Indian air strike, Pakistan military sources said. “indian aircraft intruded from Muzafarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, said in a tweet.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called an “emergency meeting” Tuesday after India carried out air strikes. Qureshi will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan after the meeting in which he will discuss the security situation with high-level officials.

Asserting that the families of the martyred jawans must be feeling relieved, BJP president Amit Shah praised the Modi government after the Indian Air Force (IAF) struck the Jaish-e-mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan, saying the entire country is celebrating Diwali now, times of India reported. In her telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj explained the reasons behind the IAF strike and conveyed that the action was specifically targeted at the JEM camp. She also spoke to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and apprised him about the “non-military, pre-emptive air strikes” the paper further said.

However, a majority of the English language media in Pakistan quoted the country’s Army declaring the Indian Air Force’s reported strike against Jaish-e-mohammed camps in the country a failure.at the time this report was published, the top headline on Pakistani newspaper Dawn’s website was ‘Indian Aircraft Violate LOC, Scramble Back After PAF’S Timely Response: ISPR’.

The report added, “in their haste to escape, Indian aircraft ended up releasing payload which fell near Balakot, says DG ISPR.”

Another daily Express Tribune led with the following headline: “Pakistan chases away Indian jets after LOC violation.” It also carried another article where Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi promised ‘befitting response’.