RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership refreshed fond memories of country’s befitting response to the Indian aggression on the fourth anniversary of Operation Swift Retort.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that while the government aimed for peace with all, it was “mindful of our duty to defend the country”.
In a tweet today, the premier paid tribute to the Pakistan Air Force for its “befitting response” to the Indian violation of Pakistan’s airspace “on the pretext of false flag Pulwama attack”.
“While we aim for peace with all, we are mindful of our duty to defend the country. Let no one make any mistake about it,” he warned.
Meanwhile, PTI chairman Imran Khan — who was the prime minister when the operation was conducted — also posted a tweet, remembering how Pakistan had taught a good lesson to Indian aggression.
Khan said that on 27 February, 2019, his party’s government had ordered to respond to the Indian air strike on Balakot with PAF air strikes on Indian military targets in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and the PAF downed an IAF plane over Pakistan air space capturing the pilot.
He added that his government’s decision to choose a “limited military response” had signaled a “clear message to India”.
27 Feb 2019 our govt ordered response to Indian air strike on Balakot with PAF air strikes on Indian mly targets in IIOJK & the PAF downed an IAF plane over Pak air space capturing the pilot. We were successful in choosing a limited mly response signalling a clear msg to India.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 27, 2023
Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Monday paid tribute to the resilience of the nation and resolve of the armed forces on the fourth anniversary of Operation Swift Retort.
On February 27, 2019, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had shot down two Indian planes that had violated Pakistani airspace. One of the Indian pilots was captured by Pakistan but was later released as a gesture of peace.
The airstrikes were part of the PAF military operation codenamed ‘Operation Swift Retort’ and were conducted in retaliation.
The DG ISPR shared a message on behalf of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, services chiefs and the country’s armed forces.
In a series of tweets, he said that they pay tribute to the nation’s resilience as well as the resolve of the armed forces, displayed during the operation.
“Under the pretext of false flag Pulwama attack, India stage managed a cowardly attack on a fictitious target,” he tweeted.
Major General Chaudhry commended the “daring, resolute and measured response from Pakistan” that thwarted the Indian “nefarious designs”.
The DG said that this day is a reminder that “while being a peace-loving nation, Pakistan’s armed forces are ever ready not only to defend every inch of [the] motherland but to take the fight back to the enemy, if aggression is imposed on us”.
“Any delusion resulting into a misadventure will always be met with the full might of the Pakistan armed forces, backed by a resilient nation. Pakistan Zindabad,” he added.
but to take the fight back to the enemy, if ever, aggression is imposed on us. Any delusion resulting into a misadventure will always be met with full might of Pak AFs backed by a resilient nation. Pakistan Zindabad. 3/3
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) February 27, 2023
The encounter
On February 27, 2019, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had shot down two Indian planes that had violated Pakistani airspace. One of the Indian pilots was captured by Pakistan, but was later handed over as a gesture of peace.
The epicentre of the Pakistan-India escalation was an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama on Feb 14, 2019, in which more than 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed.
The attack, surpassing one in 2016 when 19 soldiers died, saw explosives packed inside a van rip through buses in a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying some 2,500 members of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force.
Two blue buses carrying around 35 people each bore the brunt of the explosion around 20 kilometres from the main city of Srinagar on the main highway towards Jammu.
The next day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country would give a “strong response” to the Pulwama attack.
The “blood of the people is boiling” and forces behind the act of terrorism will be definitely be punished, he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Modi didn’t name Pakistan but went on to say: “If our neighbour, which is totally isolated in the world and thinks it can destabilise India through its tactics and conspiracies, then it is making a huge mistake”.
The situation heated up when Indian military planes violated the Line of Control, intruding from the Muzaffarabad sector. “Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled” and Indian aircraft went back, the ISPR had said in a statement.
The intrusion in Pakistani airspace by Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft had happened for a second consecutive day, as one of its planes had to release payloads in the Balakot area while being chased away in the early hours of the day. The Pakistan military spokesman had then promised “surprise” for India in response to the IAF aggression.
A day later, the IAF jets entered Pakistani airspace after the PAF strikes on the other side of the LoC from Pakistani airspace for, what the Foreign Office and Army had described as, a demonstration of Pakistan’s “right, will and capability for self-defence”.
The PAF strikes across the LoC were first announced by then FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal via a tweet. “PAF undertook strikes across LoC from Pakistani airspace. The 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,” he had tweeted.
Shortly afterwards, the then Pakistan military spokesman Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor announced the shooting down of IAF aircraft. He had tweeted, “IAF crossed LoC” after the PAF strikes in India-occupied Kashmir (IOK).
