The IAF air strike against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Pakistan's Balakot comes almost two weeks after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed

New Delhi: After Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan initially denied that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had conducted air strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Balakot on Tuesday, the Pakistan Army later admitted that the Indian forces had indeed dropped “four bombs” during the operation. Interestingly, Pakistan’s Defence Minister claimed that their air force was ready to retaliate against the IAF aircraft but did not “as it was dark.” 

Addressing a press conference after the IAF air strike destroyed the JeM camp in Balakot, Pakistan Pervez Khattak and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan Air Forces were “ready to respond” as 12 Mirage 2000 jets of the IAF crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and dropped the bombs on Jaish terror camps. However, they added that "since it was dark, they could not retaliate as they could not ascertain the losses then.” 

Briefing reporters, Pakistan’s Defence Minister said, “When the attack took place in the morning, the IAF planes came 4-5 km inside the LoC and they dropped the bombs. Our air force was ready but because it was dark, it was night, the losses could not be ascertained. So, they waited for that. Now we have received clear directions that if something like this happens in the future, we will respond to it.” Indian air strikes in Pakistan LIVE UPDATES

Responding to the Defence Minister’s statement, Qureshi added, “May I just add. The Pakistan Air Force was already air-bond. We were ready for all eventualities."

In a major anti-terror operation, Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft crossed the LoC in the early hours of Tuesday and bombed one of the biggest JeM camp in Balakot, killing at least 350 terrorists. The air strike comes almost two weeks after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed after a JeM suicide bomber had rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus plying the CRPF jawans in Kashmir.