ISLAMABAD: Indian fighter jets patrolling above occupied Kashmir were forced to flee after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled its jets, state media reported, adding to tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
India, without offering any evidence, has implied cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan’s political and military leadership have strongly denied any involvement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral probe into the incident.
The tensions between the arch-rivals have intensified in the past few days, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying Pakistan had reinforced its forces and was ready for any incursion by India, while on the other side, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “operational freedom” to act on the Pahalgam attack.
PTV News and Radio Pakistan, citing security sources, said that four Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were spotted conducting “patrolling overnight” in occupied Kashmir without crossing the Line of Control.
“PAF jets promptly detected the presence of these Indian warplanes,” Radio Pakistan added.“As a result of PAF’s diligent action, the Indian Rafale jets panicked and were forced to flee,” PTV News reported. The security sources also reaffirmed that the armed forces were “fully prepared and vigilant to give a befitting response to any aggression from India”.
The government and the military have yet to provide details on the incident.The development comes after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar earlier today said “credible intelligence” reports indicated that India was planning to conduct a military action against Pakistan in the “next 24 to 36 hours”.
In a televised statement issued shortly after 2am, Tarar said: “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.”
The April 22 attack killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it “unequivocally” denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility.
Tarar said Pakistan vehemently rejected “Indian self-assumed hubristic role of judge, jury and executioner in the region” and it was completely “reckless”.
