Balakot airstrike killed 300: Former Pakistani diplomat

Almost two years after it took place, the Balakot airstrike is in the news all over again. On 26 February 2019, the Indian Air Force’s warplanes crossed the border in the disputed region of Kashmir and bombed parts of the said place in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Indian sources said that a large number of terrorists were killed in the attack. However, Pakistan has officially denied it all along.

The news is that a former Pakistani diplomat has reportedly admitted that there were 300 casualties due to the game-changing airstrike. This is in keeping with what India has said.

Several people have taken to social media and mocked the Opposition leaders in India for questioning the statements made by the military and the ruling BJP about Balakot. “Today, Pakistan stands exposed. But the problem is, what about those who peddled Pakistan’s lines in India?”, commented Shehzad Jai Hindi, a political analyst, speaking to a TV channel.

On its part, India had said that it was a preemptive strike directed against a terrorist training camp nurtured by the Pakistani establishment. A large number of terrorists were killed, India said.

The Balakot airstrike became an election issue in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, it was not a predominant issue. The airstrike took place days after 44 CRPF jawans were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama, Kashmir.