Perplexed Indian Air Chief says govt will tell about deaths in airstrike
Last updated on: 04 March,2019 08:15 pm
Air Chief told that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is not in a condition to fly plane.
COIMBATORE (Dunya News) – Confused Air chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday revealed that they are not in a position to clarify how many people were killed in the airstrike in Pakistan. Failing to answer a question related to number of deaths in the airstrike, Dhanoa said, “This statement will be made by the government.” Indian media and government officials had claimed that 300 alleged terrorists were killed in the airstrikes in Balakot. However, now the air chief said, “We can’t count the causalities as we count the targets.”
He also told that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was arrested by Pakistan Air Force (PAF), is not in a condition to fly plane. On February 26, Indian warplanes carried out air strikes inside Balakot on what New Delhi alleged were militant camps. Islamabad denied any such camps existed. On Wednesday, Pakistan retaliated with its own aerial mission.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told a news conference claiming that the strikes had killed a "large number" of militants, including commanders, and had avoided civilian casualties.
ISPR Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said the strikes caused no casualties. He tweeted that Pakistani jets were scrambled and forced the Indian planes to make a "hasty withdrawal", dropping their payload in an open area.
On February 27, in a response to Indian Line of Control (LoC) violation, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had destroyed two Indian fighter jets and arrested pilot Abhinandan. The wreckage of one aircraft fell in Central Kashmir’s Budgam while the other’s in Pakistan territory