The Balakot air raid is a wake-up call for the Modi government to modernise its defence forces rather than putting the blame on previous regimes. Otherwise, it would cut a sorry figure during encounters with age-old weapons against its adversaries
After the Pulwama massacre, where more than 40 CRPF jawans were martyred by Pakistani terrorists, as claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, the Modi Government gave a befitting reply to the Pakistani terrorists. In the early hours of February 26, 12 Mirage-2000 combat jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF), armed with Israeli Precision Guided Munitions (PGM), also known as SPICE-2000 and Crystal Maze Mk2, called AGM 142 Popeye PGMs, retaliated by taking off from their Gwalior airbase on a crucial mission, cloaked in the highest secrecy to keep an element of surprise.
The terror launch pads along the Line of Control (LoC) were moved deep inside after the Pulwama attack. The camp in Balakot, which was targetted, is the JeM’s major training camp. It’s close to Abbottabad, infamous because of Osama bin Laden. Balakot is situated about 60 km from the LoC, in the Mansehra district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is about two hour’s drive from Abbottabad. It is believed that a large number of JeM terrorists, trainers and senior commanders were eliminated in the air strikes launched at the camp in Balakot.
The IAF’s air strike sent a robust but calibrated message to Islamabad. The latter is manifest in New Delhi’s diplomatic utterances. India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale referred to the action as a “non-military, pre-emptive strike.” This phrase is indicative of the fact that action was completely based on an assessment of an imminent threat to our national security, ensured that Pakistan’s military personnel and infrastructure were not targetted and avoided civilian casualties at all cost. In effect, New Delhi’s line has been that the operation was an intelligence-driven, counter-terror strike; rather than an escalatory military aggression.
On February 27, Pakistan crossed the LoC with three F-16 jets to undertake strikes in Jammu & Kashmir. Indian officials said Pakistani F-16 fighter jets violated the Indian air space in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch and Nowshera sectors but were pushed back by Indian MiG-21 jets. However, the Pakistan foreign office said in a statement, “Pakistan Air Force undertook strikes across LoC from within the Pakistani airspace. This was not a retaliation to continued Indian belligerence but an action in self defence. If India is striking at the so-called terrorist backers without a shred of evidence, we also retain reciprocal rights to retaliate against elements that enjoy Indian patronage while carrying out acts of terror in Pakistan. We do not wish to go to that route and wish that India gives peace a chance to resolve issues like a mature democratic nation.”
The aerial skirmish began when three Pakistani jet fighters, out of a “fairly large formation” of over 10 F-16s, JF-17s and Mirage-5 attack jets, crossed the LoC in the Kalal area in Nowshera region of Rajouri in Jammu around 10.20 am. A media report said four military installations were being targeted – the Brigade headquarters in Krishna Ghati (Poonch), a battalion headquarter in Nangi Tekri, supply dump and ammunition point in Niyari. A small number of these fighters then proceeded to cross the LoC when eight IAF jets, which included four Sukhoi 30s, two-upgraded Mirage 2000s and two MiG-21 Bisons, intercepted them. The Air Force fighters chased the Pakistani jets on their return leg after they had dropped a handful of laser-guided bombs that narrowly missed their military targets along the LoC.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was in hot pursuit of a Pakistani F-16 jet, which he engaged with an R-73 air-to-air missile. The state-of-the-art Pakistani fighter, thought to be a two-seater variant of the jet, was shot down. Both pilots were seen parachuting down on the Pakistani side of the LoC.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan offered talks with Prime Minister Modi to de-escalate a war-like situation between the two countries and promised that Wing Commander Abhinandan would be released soon. India, on February 27, responded to Khan’s offer for talks with a demarche, which stated, “It is unfortunate that instead of fulfilling its international obligation and bilateral commitment to take credible action against terrorist entities and individuals operating from its soil, Pakistan has acted with action against India.”
To the satisfaction and great solace to every Indian, brave and bruised hero Wing Commander Abhinandan returned on March 1 after an agonising day-long wait as Pakistan rejected India’s request to allow IAF to fly him in a special aircraft. A “confession” video having 20 cuts praising Pakistan was extracted from Abhinandan at an ISI facility in Lahore. Indian officials said it was extracted under duress and only undermined Khan’s “peace gesture” of releasing him. This video delayed the homecoming of Abhinandan by four hours.
Pakistan denied that the Indian strike caused any damage on the ground. Surprisingly, even Opposition parties in India doubted the IAF having caused severe damage to the JeM terrorist camps in Balakot. The photographic proof of the target strikes are available with the IAF and can, therefore, be released by the government.
The computer memories of Sice-2000 precision guided bombs with satellite images and exact geographical coordinates of the major JeM camps were loaded on Mirage-2000 fighters. With their navigation/seeker systems, the fire and forget 1000 kg Spice-2000 laser guided bombs homed into the four to six targets selected within the JeM facility with an error margin of 1 metre. Some civilians and even Azhar’s youngest brother Maulana Ammar confirmed IAF hitting the Jaish factory and ambulances carrying dead bodies. How can we make our Opposition parties believe the strike capability of our highly professional defence forces?
The whole incident is a wake-up call for the Modi government to modernise its defence forces rather than blaming the previous governments. Or else it would cut a sorry figure during encounters with age-old weapons against its adversaries. India is the fastest and sixth largest economy in the world. However, its defence budget is 1.44 per cent of the GDP, which is the least since 1962. How long will the IAF continue flying 50-year- old vintage jet fighters for combat and how long will the soldiers continue sacrificing their lives with old rifles, carbines, sniper rifles, light machine guns and without latest night firing devices?
The Armed forces must have a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for coordination of operations during war and he must be a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security CCS for authentic and expert strategic military advice at such crucial times.
(The writer is a retired professor in international trade)
