A Pakistan Army spokesperson said Indian aircraft "intruded" from Muzaffarabad sector and faced "timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force."
In a pre-dawn strike, combat jets of Indian Air Force bombed terror camps on Tuesday at multiple locations across the Line of Control in the Pakistani side, 12 days after Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group carried out the dastardly Pulwama attack in Kashmir, government sources said.
They said the IAF's Mirage 2000 fighter jets pounded the terror camps in Balakot, Muzaffarabad and Chakoti in the well-planned strike destroying Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the operation.
Hours later, Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security which was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Sitharaman.
The sources said significant damage has been inflicted ground on the Pakistani side.
A source indicated that the operation was carried out between 3:50 AM and 4:05 AM.
India had put all IAF bases in the western sector on maximum alert after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
After the Pulwama attack, Modi announced that the armed forces have been given full freedom to respond to the strike.
The reports of the IAF operation was first revealed by by Pakistan's Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations, Major-General Asif Ghafoor in a series of tweets.
"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," Ghafoor tweeted.
"Indian Air Force violated Line of Control Pakistan. Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircraft gone back," he said.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said: "Credible information was received that JeM was attempting other attacks in the country. A pre-emptive strike became important. India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot.. In an intelligence lead operation in the early hours today, India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commander & Jihadis were eliminated. Large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders were eliminated in largest JeM camp in Balakot. Camp was led by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother in law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar."
The significance of Balakot
Where is Balakot?
Balakot is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
According to reports, Masood Azhar used to time in Balakot in 2001. Balakot is also believed to be the home of Jaish-e-Muhammad camps which were operational and used as launchpads.
It’s believed the IAF destroyed Alpha 3 Control Rooms and launchpads of JeM in Balakot.
Intel on Balakot from 2001 onwards has shown that it’s the place for JeM rallies, training at facility at Besyan Chowk in Balakot. The attacks on LoC, against Americans in Afghanistan and in Pakistan were also believed to be planned here.
It’s 50 km from Abbottabad, most famous for housing Osama Bin Laden.
1. Carried out less than a fortnight after Pulwama
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The airstrike was carried out in less than two weeks after the Pulwama attack. On February 14, a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives rammed a bus carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops, killing 40 jawans. The convoy which was attacked on the Jammu-Srinagar highway had over 70 vehicles and more than 2,500 personnel. The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
2. What Pakistan claims
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In two tweets on Tuesday, Pakistan Army said that the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and dropped payload near Balakot in Pakistani territory.
"Indian Air Force violated Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow," the Spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted early on Tuesday.
In another tweet, he added, "Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzaffarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage."
3. What Pak Foreign minister said
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Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a hurriedly summoned security meeting after Indian Air Force's (IAF) multiple aerial strikes at terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), said that clouds of danger are hovering over Pakistan and that his country should not be worried over India's operation. "I have already said that I don't want to mislead the public.
Clouds of danger are hovering over us and we will have to remain alert," Samaa TV quoted Qureshi, as saying. The Pakistan foreign minister called a high-level emergency meeting on Tuesday for consultation with former foreign secretaries and senior diplomats hours after IAF carried out air strikes across the LoC. The operation, in which 12 Mirage 2000 jets took part, was carried around 3:30 am, IAF sources told ANI.
