Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday demanded proof for the Balakot airstrikes launched by the Indian Armed forces in the wake of the Pulwama attack in February 2019.
Speaking in the lower house of the parliament, Chowdhury said, “What happened in Balakot airstrikes is still unclear. Where is the proof (of airstrikes)? We have no information on the airstrikes.”
Probably the reason why the BJP doesn’t miss Mani Shankar Aiyar anymore. pic.twitter.com/OZJaWWatws
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) February 5, 2024
Chowdhury cited international media organisations saying that they reported there had been no action reported in Pakistan’s Balakot.
“There are several international agencies that said there have been no consequences in Balakot,” said Chowdhury, implying that there was no action taken against the terror camp in the Pakistani town after the Pulwama attack.
On the ill-fated day of 14 February 2019, the CRPF convoy was hit in a gruesome terrorist attack in Awantipora in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. 12 CRPF bravehearts lost their lives in this terrorist attack. Soon, the Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the ghastly terrorist attack. It also released a video of the Fidayeen terrorist Adil Ahmed Dar alias Waqas who carried out the suicide attack. The Pulwama terror attack was carried out at the behest and with the support of the Pakistani establishment.
In a swift response to this ghastly terror act, the Indian Airforce conducted “pre-emptive” Airstrikes deep inside Pakistani territory in Balakot on 26 February 2019. Over 200-300 JeM terrorists were presumably neutralised in the attacks, triggering a dogfight between the two nations the subsequent day.
However, this is not the first time that Congress raised aspersions on the authenticity of the Balakot airstrikes. In the aftermath of the attack, the party had demanded proof that the Indian jets indeed attacked terror camps in Pakistan. Several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh and Sam Pitroda, had questioned the Balakot airstrikes by the Indian Air Force.