Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
The Indian Air Force bombed the largest Jaish-e-Mohammed terror facility in Pakistan’s Balakot in the early hours of 26 February, the MEA said in a statement in the afternoon, 12 days after the Pulwama terror attack that left 40 CRPF jawans dead. The strike sparked a slew of political reactions, denials and press briefings. Here's how the day unfolded.
1. An Early Morning Tweet
At 5:30 am on Tuesday, 26 February, Pakistan army’s Major General Asif Ghafoor said that "Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzafarabad sector" and that payload was "released" which "fell near Balakot."
2. Photos of Alleged Damage Emerge
At 7:11 am, Pakistan Armed Forces Spokesperson tweets photos of the alleged damage caused by the payload of "hastily escaping Indian aircrafts."
3. ‘1,000 kg Bombs Dropped’
ANI reports that 12 Mirage 2000 Indian Fighter jets struck terror camps across the LoC at 3:30 am on Tuesday, 26 February. The report says that 1,000 kg bombs were dropped.
4. Netas Start Reacting
Political reactions start pouring in, with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Manu Singhvi tweeting their appreciation for the Indian Air Force.
5. ‘Whole Operation Took 30 Minutes’
BBC quotes IAF sources and reports that the Mirage fighters, that were used for the air strike, took off from the Ambala air base, and the whole operation took 30 minutes.
6. Post-Strike PM’s Meeting
First photo of PM Modi holding a meeting with top leaders post strike at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg is posted. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale are seen in the photo
7. IAF & Defence Systems Put on High-Alert
India said that the IAF and defense systems have been put on high alert along the international border to respond to any possible action from Pakistan.
8. Pakistan Says “Grave Aggression”
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi calls the air strike by the Indian Air Force a “grave aggression.”
9. India’s Foreign Secy Briefs the Media
In a press briefing at 11:30 am, India’s foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said that India bombed the JeM’s terror camp in Balakot as a pre-emptive strike, because India had credible intelligence that Jaish was planning and training terrorists to carry out more suicide attacks in India. He said that the JeM terror camp in Balakot, which was struck, were run by Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law.
10. PM Modi Says “Country Is In Safe Hands”
In a rally in Rajasthan's Churu, PM Modi says, "Today I assure the countrymen, the country is in safe hands." Pictures of 40 CRPF jawans, who were martyred in the Pulwama attack, were used in the backdrop.
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