• Intrusion lasts nearly four minutes and eight enemy aircraft go up to four nautical miles into Pakistani airspace
• PAF scrambles jets immediately after intrusion, forcing Indian aircraft to flee
• Response to Delhi’s provocative action framed at special NSC meeting chaired by prime minister
• Acting Indian high commissioner summoned to FO to receive protest over violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
• FM Qureshi speaks to Mike Pompeo, asks US to play role in dealing with escalation in South Asia
• ISPR chief promises a ‘surprise’ for India whenever Pakistan responds

ISLAMABAD: Civilian and military leaders on Tuesday vowed in unison to retaliate against Indian “aggression” as tensions between the arch rival neighbours ratcheted up after Indian fighter jets intruded into Pakistani airspace and claimed to have hit alleged militant targets.

Tensions in the perpetually troubled Pak-India ties had been growing since the Feb 14 attack in Pulwama on Indian security forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had at the very start of the crisis authorised his security forces to respond. Although Pakistan had categorically warned India against any ‘misadventure’, the latter ignored all those warnings and on Tuesday morning went ahead with sending its jets into Pakistani airspace with the mission of attacking ‘alleged terror bases’.

The Foreign Office said eight Indian aircraft intruded into the Pakistani airspace.

As per Pakistani accounts given by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the intrusion lasted nearly four minutes, between 2.54am and 2.58am, and enemy aircraft went up to four nautical miles into the Pakistani airspace.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which was already on alert in view of the volatile situation, scrambled its jets immediately after the intrusion, forcing the Indian aircraft to flee.

“Indian aircraft intruded from Muzaffarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage,” Maj Gen Ghafoor said.

The incursion was a major development. Although ceasefire violations by India had virtually become a norm over the past few years with over 3,000 breaches being committed by Indian troops just last year, it was the first aerial intrusion from the Line of Control (LoC) side since 1971. Aerial infringement is always seen as a red line in the Kashmir conflict between the two countries. Some fear that red lines of the conflict were being redrawn through this latest incident.

The government’s response to India’s provocative action of trespassing Pakistan’s airspace in the wee hours of Tuesday was framed at a special meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), which was attended by ministers for foreign affairs, defence and finance, the services chiefs and other civil and military officials.

The members of the committee, who met over the escalation in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack for a second time in less than a week, according to a Prime Minister Office statement, reached the conclusion that Indian action was an “uncalled for aggression” and decided that “Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing”.

The NSC had at its last meeting on Feb 21 delegated authority to “the armed forces of Pakistan to respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure by India”.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who chaired the NSC session on Tuesday, put forth his strategy for finalising the response under which a joint sitting of parliament and a meeting of the National Command Authority were convened. The NCA — an authority responsible for command and control decisions of the nuclear arsenal — would meet on Wednesday (Feb 27) to deliberate on the response options.

A three-member committee comprising defence, finance and foreign ministers was constituted by the government to take the parliamentary leadership on board over the evolving situation.

The government is also planning to arrange a briefing for political leaders by the Director General Military Operations and Deputy Chief of Air Staff.

PM Khan, meanwhile, asked all “elements of national power including the armed forces and the people of Pakistan to remain prepared for all eventualities”.

Foreign Minister Qureshi was directed to diplomatically engage other countries to agitate against Indian aggression.

The acting Indian high commissioner was summoned to the FO to receive a protest over the “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. He was told that “Indian aggression was a threat to regional peace and stability and would get a befitting response by Pakistan at a time and place of its choosing”.

Pakistan’s principled position of continuing support for the peaceful political struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realisation of the right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions was reaffirmed, the FO spokesman’s office said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Qureshi, meanwhile, spoke to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and urged the United States to play its role in dealing with the sharp escalation in South Asia due to Indian recklessness. He reminded the US secretary that India was jeopardising regional peace for political goals. He warned that Indian aggression could disturb joint efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Office after the NSC meeting, Mr Qureshi strongly defended the PAF performance that was criticised by many for what they felt as inadequate response.

The PM Office statement on the NSC meeting also noted that “timely and effective response of PAF to repulse Indian attempt without any loss of life or property” was appreciated.

Mr Qureshi said that “it was not time to question the capability and preparedness of PAF”. “Don’t underestimate the capability of PAF to defend the country.”

ISPR chief Maj Gen Ghafoor, while speaking at a press conference, promised a “surprise” for India, whenever Pakistan responds to Indian aggression.

“Response will come and will come differently at a point and time of our choosing. It is India that has chosen the path of war without caring for peace and stability of the region,” he said, adding that it was now time for India to wait for the response. “It is now your turn and you wait for our surprise,” he said, addressing the Indians.

When asked if Pakistan’s response would be in military terms or diplomatic, the ISPR DG said: “Whenever a country responds, it does so in all domains.”

He said Indian intention was to hit civilian targets to get civilian casualties and then propagate that the victims for militants. That plan, he stressed, was foiled. About Indian claims that a militant base was attacked, resulting in significant casualties, the military spokesman said: “There was not a single brick in debris. If there were casualties then where are the dead bodies, the funerals of the dead.”

He said the spot where fleeing Indian jets jettisoned their payloads was open for “everyone and everybody” to go and inspect. He even offered Indian services representatives at the High Commission in Islamabad and the people of India to see the place for themselves.

A media trip to the site was planned, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Events surrounding the intrusion

Recalling the events before the aerial incursion, the spokesman said: “Last night, our radars were observing them. They had earlier come closer to our border but did not cross it. Last night, their first visibility was observed near the Sialkot and Lahore border. They were seen approaching the border. Our Combat Air Patrol (CAP) team approached and challenged them. They did not cross.

“As per the SOP (standard operating procedure), when the first team got committed there, the next CAP team automatically was airborne. During this, another one of their formation was picked in Bahawalpur sector. The second standby team went down south and challenged it.

“We then observed that the more heavier of their teams was approaching Muzaffarabad sector from Kiran Valley. When our third CAP team challenged them, they had crossed the LoC. Their approaching of the border, the challenge and their return took four minutes.”

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2019