India Pakistan
conflict
The reality of Balakot operation 26th Feb 2019
Background
Kashmir Freedom
movement.
The Kashmir freedom movement started in 1947,
however, it took a new life in 1989. when the Indian government deployed seven
hundred thousand troops in the IOK to suppress the independence movement, history must
have witnessed many agreements, dialogues and clashes that culminated into
wars.
Here we will focus on the failed military operation conducted
by India that was successfully repulsed by PAF on the following day.
Indian air strikes in
Balakot region.
On 26th
February 2019, India conducted air strikes in the Balakot region of
Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah, aiming to hit the alleged military bases of Jaish-e-Mohammed located in Pakistan. India crossed the LOC, for the first time
after the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
India claimed that the air strikes were preemptive and
they achieved their objectives by successfully hitting the targets, claiming to
have killed more than 300 terrorists. However,
the Indian claim was rejected by
independent sources as this was not
supported by any shred of evidence.
There was a dropping of IAF payload near a hillside, killing one crow and
damaging a few pine trees.
Satellite
Data Assessments, debunked the Indian claims.
According to Nathan Ruser of the Australian
Strategic Policy Institute, there is "no apparent evidence of more
extensive damage and on the face of it does not validate Indian claims
regarding the effect of the strikes." This conclusion was reached after looking
at satellite data. Another independent study of the matter was conducted by Atlantic Council digital forensics analyst Michael
Sheldon, who concluded that no harm was done to any surrounding infrastructure. It
found that, given the autonomous nature of the ostensibly used missiles,
"something appeared to have gone wrong in the targeting process" and
that the error was puzzling.
When compared to a satellite image from April 2018. It stated that
"there were no discernible holes in the roofs of buildings, no signs of
scorching, blown-out walls, displaced trees around the madrasa or other signs
of an aerial attack" . The Australian
Strategic Policy Institute later examined even better quality data from
the WorldView-2 satellite and found that "all three weapons missed by
similar (but not identical) distances," indicating "that the misses
were caused by a systematic targeting error."
A high-resolution photograph of the striking site was also given by European Space Imaging. The satellite images date
back to February 27, 2019, which was one day following the strike. The picture
revealed that there were no injuries in the area and that the buildings were
intact.
Pakistan
retaliation, Operation Swift Retort.
The PAF retaliated right after a day and launched a
counter-strike on Feb 27, 2019, intended primarily to demonstrate Pakistan’s
resolve. The strike was carefully crafted to avoid casualties on the ground.
During the short aerial
encounter that followed, PAF shot down two IAF aircraft and captured one of the
pilots. The debris of the SU-30 fell in IOK and its pilot was killed, while the
MiG-21 pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, whose aircraft fell on the
Pakistan side was captured alive before being returned on 1 March 2019,
describing the move as a gesture of peace. The Indian Air Force though stated
that the pilot's release was an obligation under the Geneva Conventions.
https://pmln.org/
http://www.ispr.gov.pk/
