Hours after the surgical strike on terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) inside Pakistan at Balakot, India has started briefing the foreign countries about the development.
Diplomats in South Block are being addressed by the Foreign Secretary of India – Vijay Gokhale. The foreign diplomats present in the briefing session are from Unites States of America (U.S.A.), United Kingdom (U.K.), Russia, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey and 6 ASEAN nations.
Earlier in the morning, a total of 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets have struck the training camps of JeM by dropping 1,000 kgs. of payload. Started at 3:45 a.m. in the morning, the IAF destroyed the JeM’s camps at Balakot, which is 24 kms. North-West of Muzaffarabad. The entire mission lasted for 19 minutes. This is the first cross-border air strike India has carried out in 5 decades. The last such strike happened during the 1971 Bangladesh war. The strike is a historic high for IAF as it not only crossed the Line of Actual Control (LoC) but also went ahead the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), before eliminating the terror camp.
For the records, JeM had carried out the heinous terror attack in Pulwama on February 14, 2019, killing more than 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
China urges peace
In the meantime, China has urged Indian Pakistan to exercise restraint and maintain peace in the region.
The Spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry – Lu Kang, said “We hope that both India and Pakistan can exercise restraint and adopt actions that will help stabilise the situation in the region and improve mutual relations.”
Pakistan Foreign Minister holds Press Conference
Addressing the media in a Press Conference, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan – Shah Mahmood Qureshi has read out a statement by the National Security Committee (NSC), which says Pakistan would respond to India at time and place of its choice.
He said, “A three-member committed has been formed, including me, finance minister and defence minister to approach the parliament, and so that the people of Pakistan can be taken into confidence on the evolving situation.”
He also stated that Pakistan will ask the local and international media to accompany them to the site of the Indian violation. Besides, Pakistan has sought engagement of international leadership on the issue.
Talking about involving international leaders, he said, “It has been decided that international leadership will be engaged with, and the foreign office and prime minister will engage. At the request of Pakistan, there is an OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) conflict group emergency meeting underway, and Tehmina Janjua is representing Pakistan there. We will present Pakistan’s point of view at that forum.”
