Former Indian cricketers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir saluted the Indian Air Force for carrying out an air strike in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the early hours of Tuesday morning that according to sources killed around 200-300 terrorists.
The attacks, being treated as India’s direct response to the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 that killed more than 40 Indian soldiers, destroyed terrors base camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakot, Chakoti and Muzaffarabad.
Taking a direct jibe at Pakistan after India’s air strikes on PoK, Sehwag said, “The boys have played really well, #SudhJaaoWarnaSudhaarDenge.”
Hailing the action taken by Indian defence forces, Sehwag’s former Team India opening partner Gambhir said “Jai Hind, India strikes back.”
The Indian Air Force dropped more than 1000 kgs of bombs in the Balakot and Chamoli region, some 88 km inside LoC using Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The extent of the damage inflicted on the ground is not immediately known.
Notably, both Sehwag and Gambhir were one of the firsts to condemn the dastardly Pulwama terror attacks. The former Indian openers had also demanded strong action by the Indian government and defence forces. Sehwag had even offered free education for the martyred children in his Sehwag International School.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan Army alleged that the Indian Air Force violated the Line of Control (LoC) in Muzaffarabad sector.
"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," Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a tweet.