Islamabad, Pakistan – Indian fighter jets on Tuesday crossed into Pakistani territory, conducting what the foreign ministry termed a “non-military pre-emptive action” against armed group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), dramatically escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours weeks after a suicide attack in the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistan first reported the Indian airspace incursion, with military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor saying its air force jets were scrambling to respond, forcing the Indian aircraft to “release [their] payload in haste while escaping”.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, however, asserted that the jets had hit their target, and that “a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated.”
“The government of India is firmly and resolutely committed to taking all necessary measures to fight the menace of terrorism,” he told reporters in New Delhi. “Hence this non-military pre-emptive action was specifically targeted at the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp.”
C Uday Bhaskar, the director of the Society for Policy Studies based in New Delhi said: “India has sent a very firm signal.”
“The fact that air power has been used for the first time against a terrorist target to my mind signalled to Pakistan that India is demonstrating resolve in terms of using military power particularly air power,” he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with his top government officials in New Delhi where he was briefed about the predawn air attacks.
Al Jazeera’s Faiz Jamil, reporting from New Delhi, said that the Indian government has been under a lot of pressure to act in the wake of the Kashmir attack.
“This attack was expected and one of the reasons it was delayed was the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the region,” Jamil said.
“But everyone did expect that this would somehow happen sometime soon especially with [general] elections coming up in April.”
Indian Air Force violated Line of Control. Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow.
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 25, 2019
Payload of hastily escaping Indian aircrafts fell in open. pic.twitter.com/8drYtNGMsm
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 26, 2019
Sounds of aircraft
Local residents and journalists in Pakistan told Al Jazeera that the sounds of aircraft and an explosion were heard in the Jaba area of Mansehra district, located about 60km from the LoC – the de facto border that divides Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have fought three of their four wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of.
The air attacks on Tuesday appear to have taken place outside of Kashmir, at least 10km inside the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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| Indian soldiers examine the debris after the deadly explosion in Pulwama [Younis Khaliq/Reuters] |
Pakistan’s military did not confirm the location of the incident, offering conflicting reports that at first placed it near the town of Balakot, about 12km from Jaba, and then later claimed it occurred within the confines of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Tensions between the South Asian neighbours have been high since February 14, when a suicide attacker killed at least 42 Indian security force personnel in the Indian-administered Kashmir town of Pulwama.
Raids in Kashmir
Meanwhile, India’s anti-terror agency has conducted raids on the houses of four senior Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Yasin Malik.
The latest Indian action have added to the panic among Kashmiri civilians who have been affected by heavy troop deployment and fuel shortages since the Pulwama attack.
“The cost of war might not be known in the TV studios, but we have already borne the burnt of the long conflict. Now, it seems the only option left for us is quick devastation or slow devastation,” said 65-year-old Bashir Ahmad Pal, a resident of Baramulla, a frontier town in north Kashmir.
India has threatened Pakistan with military action repeatedly since that attack, blaming it for “controlling” the attack. Pakistan-based armed group JeM claimed responsibly for the attack.
Pakistan denies any role in the attack, and last week Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan asked India for “actionable intelligence” in order to take action against any JeM operatives in Pakistan.
Pakistan has reiterated its right to self-defence.
“This is a violation of the Line of Control, and Pakistan reserves the right to a reasonable response and the right to self-defence,” said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, ahead of a high-level meeting with PM Khan.
Additional reporting by Rifat Fareed from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir
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