A day after India’s Mirage 2000 jets destroyed a vast Jaish-e-Mohammed’s terror camp in Balakot, a remote valley in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan on February 27 violated Indian air space in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district and in Poonch.
As per news agency ANI, Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 that violated Indian air space was shot down in Indian retaliatory fire 3 km within Pakistan territory in Lam valley, Nowshera sector.
However, there is no official confirmation on this by the government.
Meanwhile amid rising tensions between the two countries, all airspace at Jammu, Srinagar and Leh, close to the border with Pakistan, has been shut down indefinitely. Reports also suggest that airspace over Amritsar and Chandigarh may also be closed down.
The news agency ANI quoted:
Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 that violated Indian air space shot down in Indian retaliatory fire 3KM within Pakistan territory in Lam valley, Nowshera sector. pic.twitter.com/8emKMVpWKi
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
Parachute seen as Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 was going down, condition of the pilot is unknown https://t.co/yfcHxDjlXn
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
Mohammad Faisal, Pakistan’s MoFA spokesperson: PAF undertook strikes across LoC from Pakistani airspace. Sole purpose of this action was to demonstrate our right, will and capability for self defence. We do not wish to escalate but are fully prepared if forced into that paradigm. pic.twitter.com/hSVlgYVsyX
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
PM Narendra Modi has cut short his address at a function in Vigyan Bhawan and rushed to attend a meeting to review the security situation arising out of Pakistan’s attempt to violate Indian air space.
In another important development, an IAF jet crashed in Budgam district on February 27 morning. The aircraft crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at 10.05 am, the officials said. It broke into two and caught fire immediately. Two bodies have been recovered from the site. According to officials, the plane crash is a separate incident and has nothing to do with the Pakistani jets entering Indian airspace.
The aircraft that crashed in Jammu & Kashmir’s Budgam was IAF’s Mi-17 transport chopper. https://t.co/mnyLB3G7gd
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
Following the air strikes by India, Pakistani troops have been continuously firing mortar shells targeting civilian hamlets and forward posts. All government and private schools located within 5 kilometres of the Line of Control (LoC) in the district are closed on February 27.
In Rajouri, Pakistan fired 120 mm mortars targeting civilian hamlets and forward posts, apart from small and automatic weapons. The unprovoked cross border heavy shelling and firing of missiles also led to retaliation by Indian Army, destroying five Pakistani posts.
