India claims to have struck 'biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot'

Published February 26, 2019
India's Foreign Secretary VK Gokhale. — AFP
India's Foreign Secretary VK Gokhale. — AFP

India's Foreign Secretary VK Gokhale on Tuesday claimed that the country's air force "struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Balakot".

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gokhale said "a large number of JeM terrorists were killed".

"The strike avoided civil casualties," he alleged.

Early on Tuesday, Inter-Services Public Relations' (ISPR) Major-General Asif Ghafoor said that Indian military planes violated the Line of Control (LoC), intruding from the Muzaffarabad sector. "Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot."

"Credible intel [intelligence] was received that JeM was planning more suicide attacks in India," alleged the Indian official. "In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary."

"Top commanders were eliminated in the strike," he said, adding "the action took place just hours ago".

Dawn Exclusive: A time for restraint

However, Balakot police chief Saghir Hussain Shah told The Associated Press that he had sent teams to the area — which he described as a mostly deserted wooded area — who found "no casualties, no damages on the ground because of the dropping of the bombs”.

"Information has been provided to Pakistan from time to time [...] Pakistan has taken no concrete action," Gokhale alleged. The purported 'action' by India comes only days after Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated his offer that if India provides Pakistan with "actionable intelligence" regarding the February 14 attack in occupied Kashmir's Pulwama, "we will immediately act”.

"This facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, Chief of JeM," according to Gokhale. He, however, did not provide any evidence to back claims of the alleged camp being destroyed.

Prior to the press conference, India's Cabinet Committee on Security met at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, Asian News International reported.

According to Indian media reports, Modi briefed Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu after the meeting. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has also called an all-parties meeting at 5pm (India time).

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...