Indian plane violated LOC
26 February, 2019
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday summoned an emergency meeting at the Foreign Office in Islamabad to discuss the emerging situation in the wake of Indian Air Force's (IAF) violation of the Line of Control, Radio Pakistan reported.
The meeting was being held to discuss the security situation and will be attended by former secretaries and senior ambassadors. After the meeting, Qureshi said that the prime minister had called a meeting at 11am.
In a statement following the LoC violation, Qureshi warned India not to challenge Pakistan and said that better sense should prevail in Delhi, Radio Pakistan reported. The foreign minister said the nation should not be worried over the Indian act as the defenders of the country are fully prepared to respond to any misadventure.
Maj-Gen Ghafoor in his tweet said "Indian Air Force violated Line of Control", following which "Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled" and Indian aircraft went back.
He later added that the aircraft faced "timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force" and ended up releasing "payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot". Payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft, which is usually measured in terms of weight. This could include cargo, passengers, an explosive warhead or any instruments. No casualties or damage occurred, the military spokesperson said.
In another tweet, he said that "Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LoC in Muzaffarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles". Technical details and other important information to follow, he added.
PTI, via Twitter, linked the violation to India's upcoming elections, saying: "We realise it’s election year and [there is] a desperation across the border. Fact of the matter is, Indian jets were forced to retreat in haste by Pakistan army patrols and dumped fuel, which in their scramble they thought was a bomb."
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