Zafar Hilaly called IAF's surgical airstrike an 'act of war' 

New Delhi: During a debate on Pakistani television Zafar Hilaly, the retired diplomat-turned-geopolitical analyst confessed that Pakistan lost 300 people in Balakot airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force in 2019.

Calling IAF’s surgical airstrike an “act of war” Hilaly slammed the Pakistani government and the military for not taking decisive action.

Hilaly also punctured Pakistan’s claim that the targets of PAF airstrike were non-military in nature saying “our target was their headquarter but bombs were dropped on football fields.

Our Response Was Weak: Ex-Pak Diplomat

“Our target was their headquarters but we dropped the bomb on a football field. That’s why India is saying they will do it again. Our response was weak,” Hilaly had said.

After the failed airstrike on February 27, Indian officials claimed that the Pakistan Air Force jets had deliberately targeted Indian military positions including the Indian army’s 25th division headquarters, ammunition and supply depot.

Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor in his press conference had also said that “being a responsible state” they decided that military targets will not be targeted so as to avoid any human loss or collateral damage.

300 People Killed in Balakot Airstrike

The 2019 airstrikes were the first time since the 1971 India-Pakistan war when fighter jets from both the countries crossed the Line of Control (LOC).

By conducting the pre-emptive airstrike, India showed Pakistan that a proxy war against will have consequences.

Following Pulwama terror bombing, in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred on February 14, the IAF conducted Balakot airstrike in the early morning hours of February 26 with twelve Mirage 2000 jets carrying SPICE 2000 and Popeye precision-guided munitions crossed the border and targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.