In a development that will embarrass the opposition parties in India, during a live debate on a Pakistani news program, Zafar Hilaly, a retired diplomat-turned-geopolitical analyst admitted that Pakistan lost 300 people in Balakot airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2019.
This was the first airstrike carried out by the Indian IAF inside Pakistan after 1971 war. Hilaly called the IAF’s surgical airstrike an “act of war” and came down heavily on the Pakistani government and the military for not taking decisive action.
Former Pak Diplomat Zafar admitted On Tv that in Balakot airstrike 300+ Terr0rists kiIIed and response of Pakistan was weak.pic.twitter.com/EKYGGuC9dS
— Maverick Bharat (@Mave_Intel) January 9, 2021
After the airstrikes were successfully executed by the IAF, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) attacked our military installations, however, they could not inflict any damage.
During the debate, Hilaly made it very clear that the targets of PAF airstrike were non-military in nature saying and said, “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,”.
India had carried out a targetted airstrike on a terrorist camp that was run by the banned Islamic terrorist group, the Pakistan based Jaesh e Mohammad (JeM) after one of its jihadist suicide bombers, detonated a car bomb that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
The attack that happened on February 14 in Pulwma against the Indian security forces as seen by the Modi government as a force multiplier that required a response that would give Pakistan and its terror proxies a moment of pause.
In 2016, India had carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir, however, Balakot which is in the in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is deep inside Pakistan territory which sent out a clear signal that such acts of terror will receive a befitting response.