Balakot airstrike's message was ghus kar maarenge, wherever you are: Ex-Air Force chief BS Dhanoa

On the first anniversary of the Balakot airstrike, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, the former Chief of the Air Staff, says the force looks back at the operation with "satisfaction".

HIGHLIGHTS

India sent warplanes into Pakistan a year ago today
Attacked terror camp; op was seen as revenge for Pulwama
Pakistan didn't believe India would strike on its soil: Ex-Air chief

The man who led India's Air Force at the time of the Balakot airstrike has described it as a "paradigm shift" in IAF operations and said it was meant to tell the enemy: "Ghus kar maarenge, no matter where you are."

Exactly a year ago today, India announced it had sent warplanes into Pakistan to attack a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot, and killed "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis". Pakistan denied any casualties.

The operation was widely seen as India's retaliation for a suicide bombing claimed by Jaish that had killed 40 paramilitary personnel in Kashmir less than two weeks earlier.

The general elections held later that year were free of major terrorist attacks because Pakistani leaders were "scared" of a similar or bigger Indian response, former Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa told ANI on Wednesday.

The Balakot airstrike was followed by a dogfight the following day between Indian and Pakistani warplanes, in which an Indian fighter pilot -- Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman -- was captured. He was later released.

The IAF said Abhinandan Varthaman took down a Pakistani F-16 before going down, but Islamabad denies having used the US-made fighters in the first place.

The ex-Air chief said Pakistan did not believe India would strike inside its territory (it was the first time in decades that fighter jets had crossed the Line of Control).

A year later, he said, the force looks back at the Balakot operation "with satisfaction".

Source: India Today

Comments

Top 10 Best Sainik Schools In India as per NDA Selection

In this article you will get to know about Best Sainik Schools in India, Best Sainik School of India and top 10 Sainik schools in India When India became independent, most of the officers in the defense at that time used to come from elite families. To rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the Officer cadre of the India Military, V.K Krishna Menon came up with the idea of Sainik Schools. The idea was to prepare students for Entry in the NDA. In Sainik Schools, deserving students can get high-quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The mission of Sainik schools is to prepare the cadets academically, physically, and mentally to enter the portals of the NDA. Today there are 33 Sainik schools running and proposed for future covering all the states of the country. But it has always been a topic of discussion that which of these is the best Sainik School school in India. Why do children take admission in Sainik Schools? So that they can become offi...

Explained: What is Army Aviation Corps, the youngest Corps of the Indian Army

A look at the Army Aviation Corps’ history and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. Representative Image The Army Aviation Corps (AAC), the youngest Corps of the Indian Army, celebrated its 35th Corps Day on November 1. We take a look at the arm that adds an air dimension to the Army’s capabilities, its history, and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. The roots of Army Aviation Corps The origin of the AAC can be traced back to the raising of the Army Aviation wing of the Royal Air Force in India in 1942, and the subsequent formation of the first Indian Air Observation Post in August 1947. The Air Observation Post units primarily acted as artillery spotters – which are the elements that help the artillery in directing the fire and also giving air support to ground forces. In the wars of 1965 and 1971, the Air Observation Post helicop...

That time when India took half of Pakistan to make it pay for a motorcycle

In 1947, British officer Yahya Khan offered his colleague 1,000 rupees for his spiffy red motorcycle. His colleague, Sam Manekshaw, agreed. But before Khan could pay, he was off to what was going to become Pakistan. The British split its Indian colony, and things on the subcontinent have been pretty tense ever since. To top it all off, Yahya Khan didn't pay for the motorbike. But he would, even if it took almost 25 years. The Partition of India was much more than the splitting of the British Raj into two independent states. It was a catastrophic split that tore apart the country and created millions of refugees, cost millions of lives, and split the armed forces of the country in two, all based on religion. Violence erupted almost immediately between the two groups on such a large scale that much of it has never been forgotten or forgiven. Animosity continued between both sides for decades, and the two have fought war after war because of the myriad issues left unaddressed. By 1970...

Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Search This Blog