IAF's airstrike on JeM's Balakot camp was done keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha polls: Farooq Abdullah

Acknowledging the fact that they always knew that there would be a fight with Pakistan, Farooq Abdullah said it was discouraging as India lost an aircraft worth crores. He further said that India should be grateful that the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot survived and returned from Pakistan with respect.

Farooq Abdullah (source: PTI)

New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) patron Farooq Abdullah on Monday stirred a controversy in the political circles by saying that the airstrike by Indian Air Force on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26 was nothing but a political stunt by the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party govt as the Lok Sabha Elections were just around the corner. Acknowledging the fact that they always knew that there would be a fight with Pakistan, Farooq Abdullah said it was discouraging as India lost an aircraft worth crores. He further said that India should be grateful that the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot survived and returned from Pakistan with respect. “We always knew that there would be a fight or a skirmish with Pakistan. This surgical strike (airstrike) was done as elections are approaching. We lost an aircraft worth crores. Be thankful that the pilot (IAF) survived & returned from Pakistan with respect,” said the former J&K CM thus raising quite a few eyebrows. On March 9, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had too attacked the government saying that in future, political parties may resort to Pulwama-like terror attack in a bid to win electoral polls. Earlier too, Abdullah had questioned the govt over the credibility of the air strikes, demanding proof of eliminating terrorists in the Balakot airstrike conducted by the IAF on JeM training centre and asked the Centre to release evidence of the pre-emptive airstrike. The NC patron had said, “We have shot one of their planes? Where is the proof of what Amit Shah says, ‘300 people died’? If you ask, you are against the country. Time has come that you should ask questions.” He further went on to say that the government labels a person as an anti-national if it dares to question it. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti had too demanded proof of the airstrike conducted by IAF in Balakot across Line of Control (LoC). Mufti had also questioned the government’s move and said citizens of the country had every right to question the credibility of the airstrike as the government is being ambiguous about the details.