Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the Indian air strike on JeM camp in Pakistan’s Balakot would have been ranked “among one of the major military operations of the world”, had it not been for “politics”.
In an interview to India TV’s Chairman and Editor-in-ChiefRajat Sharma in front of nearly 2,500 people at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Modiwas asked what had prompted the early release of captured Indian Air Forcepilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The PM replied cryptically:”That was a (terrible) night. There are many mysteries buried in (thedarkness of) that night. Let those mysteries stay where they are,” headded.
Speaking at length about the air strike on Balakot, Modisaid in the absence of the general election, the air strike would have rankedamong one of the major military operations of the world.
In a sharp jibe at the Opposition, who sought credibleevidence of the strike, he said: “Any citizen of India has the right todemand evidence… political leaders also have the right to demand evidence,but then, accepting those evidences is also their responsibility. The problem(with Opposition) is they demand and demand, but do not accept. The biggestevidence (of Balakot air strike) is Pakistan itself.”
He argued that after the air strike, Pakistan was in aquandary. “If it admitted that the air strike caused damage, the worldwould know that there was a terrorist camp there. It was a lone residentialbuilding housing 600 people on a hill surrounded by trees. So, to hide this,they had to do something,” he added.
Recounting the sequence of events on the day of the strike,Modi said: “As per our strategy, we were to meet in the morning to plansomething. At 3.30 a.m., when the operation was over, and our pilots andaircraft returned, took off their uniforms and were sipping tea and jokingamong themselves… But I was curious, to find out how the world took this. Istarted surfing online for international news.”
He said that at 5.15 a.m., the Pakistan Army tweeted sayingthat Indian aircraft had dropped their payload and left. Such a reaction wasself-explanatory that they were trying to gain sympathy, he added.
On the dogfight between Indian and Pakistan jets, a dayafter the air strike, Modi said it was a Pakistan fighter plane which hadcrashed, and its pilot died, but they said that an Indian plane was downed. “They had lost their balance, and they arestill to come out of that trauma,” he added.