Date: February 14, 2019, at approximately 3 p.m. A convoy of the CRPF was traveling along the Srinagar–Jammu highway. There were 78 buses in this convoy, carrying roughly 2500 soldiers.
A Maruti vehicle from the connecting highway near Pulwama joined the convoy. After a certain distance, the vehicle collided with a CRPF transport. Two busses were torn to pieces in the massive explosion. The troops' lifeless bodies were strewn everywhere. Forty soldiers died as martyrs. In the previous thirty years, this was the largest terrorist attack to occur in Jammu & Kashmir.
At the time of the attack, PM Modi was filming in Uttarakhand's Jim Corbett National Park with television host and survivalist Bear Grylls. He was informed about the incident, but it is reported that he wasn't able to receive a comprehensive briefing until late at night because of bad connectivity.
Four hours following the Pulwama assault, the Air Force declared, "Yes, we are prepared."
Around seven o'clock on the day of the Pulwama attack, a phone call came in at an Air Force station in western India. The then-Air Force Chief, BS Dhanoa, was on one side, while Air Marshal Hari Kumar, the head of the Western Air Command, was on the other. Are you ready? The Air Force Chief inquired. In response, Air Marshal Hari Kumar said, "Yes, we're ready." In an interview, Air Marshal Hari Kumar brought up this incidence.
The same day, the RAW intelligence agency in India was requested to select the strike location in Pakistan. The Air Chief arrived at Western Air Command Headquarters the following day, on February 15. The three army commanders met with the prime minister. Before the PM, the three army chiefs presented their plans of action for the Pulwama incident.
In 2016, the Army carried out a surgical operation in Pakistan. Pakistan was aware of potential ground assaults. The Navy offered to strike Karachi from the water, but Pakistan was not comfortable with that idea. As a result, these two plans were abandoned.
Airstrikes were now the third possibility. Although all three armies were prepared for this possibility, a nuclear conflict between the two nations may have occurred if circumstances had gotten much worse.
It was now up to PM Modi to make the choice. After giving it some deliberation, he decided to approve the airstrike. The Indian Air Force was ready to launch an air strike inside Pakistan for the first time since 1971.
After the Air Force selected three targets for the attack—Balaykot was the unanimous choice—it was now up to the Pakistani side to choose a location. In front of the prime minister, the Indian Air Force displayed maps showing the locations of three terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. The first was in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Bahawalpur; the second was in Question Canal; and the third was in Balakot.
Bahawalpur was home to a sizable Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in addition to medical facilities and educational institutions. There was concern that if the strike happened, regular people might be killed. There was no strike in Bahawalpur as a result.
The safest place for Jaish-e-Mohammed to hide is the canal. This was a dangerous place to strike. Thus, there was also no agreement on this.
Balakot is located in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province's Mansehra district, beside the banks of the Kunhar River. The distances are roughly 50 km from LoC and 160 km from Islamabad. There lived Yusuf Azhar, the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, who had admitted responsibility for the Pulwama assault.
This 6-acre camp was constructed in 2005. Here, terrorist operations were conducted in the name of the Talim-ul-Quran Madrasa.
Upon searching for the relevant data, Indian officials discovered a few photos. The primary structure was U-shaped. Additionally, information regarding the number of terrorists in each room was obtained. There were rumors that this camp contained 300 terrorists in all.
Prime Minister Modi called a meeting of the cabinet committee for the following day, February 16, at 9:00 a.m. NSA Ajit Doval convened a meeting on February 18. Along with the chief of RAW, it comprised the leaders of the three armies. During this meeting, the airstrike's blueprint was prepared. The reason behind naming it 'Operation Monkey' was to ensure that its name remained mysterious to all.
The mission's lead officer was given a goodbye party by the Air Force.
Intelligence officers and representatives of the Air Force met on February 20 and 22. The Seventh Squadron, a unique Air Force unit that supplies military hardware, and Central Air Command were requested to be prepared for a strike operation on February 22. On the other hand, the exact time and location of the strike were not disclosed.
All of them continued with their regular work, keeping the operation secret. In this series, Prime Minister Modi dedicated the National War Memorial in Delhi on the morning of February 25. Along with Modi, there were the chiefs of the three armies. The Air Force Chief was present at the farewell celebration hosted by Air Marshal Hari Kumar the same evening. The unique aspect is that Operation Bandar was headed by Air Marshal Hari Kumar.
In an interview, Air Marshal Hari Kumar states, "The Air Force Chief took me to a lawn on the farewell night." There, he instructed me to call me and say "Monkey" once the operation was finished. I'll accept that our officers made a safe return.
Special planning also went into selecting the operation date of February 26.
Bengaluru was scheduled to host an air show from February 20 to 24. It was to include delegates from all over the world. India wished to avoid any strikes during this time. Additionally, India had information indicating that on February 25, more terrorists would arrive at the Balakot camp. Because of this, the airstrike was scheduled for February 26.
The Prime Minister stayed up all night long, receiving reports from NSA Doval on the events of February 25–26, 2019, at around one in the morning. There were only twelve days left before the Lok Sabha elections were announced. At the Madhya Pradesh Gwalior Airbase, there was an abrupt upsurge in disturbances. The officers started to pay attention. They had the impression that a significant mission was going to begin. Subsequently, word leaked out about the inspection order. The inspection got underway right away. A component of secrecy was this scrutiny.
Twenty Mirage-2000 aircraft took off sequentially from Gwalior airbase around 1:15 in the night. These planes carried an Israeli laser-guided bomb weighing one thousand kg. In order to prevent the fuel from running out if the operation lasts for a long period, these jets refueled in the Bareilly skies.
These aircraft then turned their attention to Jammu and Kashmir and continued to fly within the Indian border for approximately an hour. These aircraft were roughly thirty thousand feet in height. In the meantime, it was discovered that Pakistan was operating two F-16 planes.
Right away, from the Ambala airbase, Air Marshal Hari Kumar ordered two Sukhoi and four Jaguars to target Bahawalpur in Pakistan. The F-16 eventually veered quickly in the direction of Bahawalpur. This was an attempt to deceive Pakistan.
Twelve Mirages reached Pakistan at the same moment, or 3:43 a.m., after crossing the international boundary. The Army, Navy, and Air Forces, on the other hand, were always prepared for backup. On the border between India and Pakistan, four Sukhoi were in flight. Pakistan would have replied if they had struck back.
Jaish maintained hideouts in Muzaffarabad, Chakoti, and Balakot. Bombs were dropped at these three locations, and the Indian Air Force returned safely. Following this, NSA Doval notified the Prime Minister that the mission had been successfully completed.
The Prime Minister stated, "I knew that an air strike was going to happen," in a 2019 TV interview. It is scheduled to occur at one, half past one, and two o'clock in the afternoon. That was something I was part in. I wanted to sleep when the surgery was done, but I also wanted to see how the rest of the world was taking it. I thus continued my internet search until the next morning.
PM Modi: "Pakistan thought India would launch a surgical strike, but we avoided it."
'We were referencing Pakistan's Bahawalpur in the media for three-four days,' the prime minister stated in an interview following the Balakot incident. Additionally, Pakistani visitors visited there and were shown by the media how serene the area is. Here, kids learn. Even after that, we insisted on saying it was the source of all problems. We moved around a lot in the sea at that time as well. Pakistan believed that an attack will occur in Karachi. For several days, Karachi was without power. It implies that Pakistan was perplexed.
As Pakistan seized Wing Commander Abhinandan on February 27 at 10 am, India was celebrating the airstrike. Ten F-16s from the Pakistani Air Force crossed into India close to the Line of Control. The Indian Air Force sprang into action right away. Nine F-16s from the Pakistani Air Force returned as a result, while one aircraft kept flying well below the Indian border. His gaze was fixed on the army brigade headquarters, the oil store in India, and an army munitions location.
India's MiG-21 and Sukhoi SU-30 aircraft caught the Pakistani planes. MiG-21 pilot Abhinandan was Wing Commander. They fired the missile at 10:08, striking the F-16 aircraft. A second Pakistani aircraft launched a missile at the MiG-21 at the same moment. MiG-21 went down.
Abhinandan used a parachute to jump and save his life, but he still made it to the Pakistani border. He chewed through several papers in his mouth and destroyed classified documents. In a matter of seconds, Abhinandan was encircled by Pakistanis. The Pakistan Army detained him after some time.
Ajay Bisaria, the Indian ambassador to Pakistan at the time, claims that he was in Delhi at the time of this incident. Only through ambassadors were discussions between the two nations taking place on Abhinandan. Via the US and British embassies, he conveyed to Pakistan that India was not about to submit. Should Abhinandan's release not occur soon, conflict may break out.
Pakistan was getting ready to bring this issue to the UN, but India's strictness prevented them from doing so. In the end, he was forced to release Abhinandan on March 1, 2019.
While Pakistan claimed that the terrorists had gone after blasting the barren hills, Amit Shah said that 250 terrorists had been killed. India did not release an official figure for the number of terrorists killed in this attack. Many BJP leaders claimed to have slain between 200 and 300 terrorists. At a gathering, Amit Shah, the BJP's national president at the time, declared that more than 250 terrorists had been eliminated.
200 cell phones were in use close to the Jaish-e-Mohammed hideaway at the time of the raid, according to a report from the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO). There was proof that terrorists had been there. The Indian government's technical intelligence unit is called NTRO. It was founded in 2004.
Major General Asif Ghafoor, speaking for the Pakistan Army, asserted that India had dropped bombs on the barren slopes. There are very few damaged trees. For forty-three days, Pakistan, however, prohibited any media from visiting that location.
opposition said: "The government ought to provide evidence of the airstrike."
"The country has the right to know what truly transpired after the airstrike in Balakot," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared. "Many foreign media have stated that the airstrike was Not much harm has occurred.
Digvijay Singh, a leader in Congress, declared, "This is the era of technology." All of the images are accessible in the open, thanks to satellite imagery. We ought to provide the same kind of evidence on Bin Laden as the American government did for the benefit of the entire world.
The opposition claims that the government conducted elections with the army.
The Congress had complained to the Election Commission during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections regarding the use of the army in PM Modi's and BJP leaders' speeches. The Election Commission was ordered by Congress to investigate allegations that candidates are abusing the military to win votes. Nonetheless, the Election Commission gave Prime Minister Modi a clean sheet.
In an interview, Modi was also asked a question about this. He replied, "I do not run the government for elections.". I don't run for the party either. I solely manage the national government. In India, elections are constantly taking place, no matter what you do.
Nonetheless, PM Modi is also bringing up the Balakot incident in relation to the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. In Jamui, Bihar, on Thursday, April 4, the prime minister declared, "Today, India enters the house and kills because of your one vote."
Winning the elections was the direct goal of the Balakot airstrike. The political analyst, Abhay Dubey
"Even though it was not announced, the direct goal of the Balakot air strike was to win the elections," political expert Abhay Dubey claims. BJP took advantage of this during the elections as well. Everywhere I walked at that time, there were hoardings and banners proclaiming that we had broken into the house and killed them. That strike was the main reason why the BJP gained the most in that election.
I don't think the decision to launch the airstrike was made in light of the upcoming elections. Defense Expert Sushant Sarin: "Every three months, elections are held in India somewhere." Will we refrain from making decisions pertaining to matters of national security? Will the government just watch helplessly during that period? I don't think the decision to launch the airstrike was made with the elections in mind.
77% of voters supported Modi after the Balakot airstrike, according to the CSDS study.
The bulk of polls conducted in January before the Balakot airstrike predicted that the BJP would not win the majority on its own. A few surveys had awarded the BJP 220 seats. The outcomes, however, contradicted the polls' assertions. The NDA won 353 seats, while the BJP won 303.
As per the CSDS Lokniti study, 77% of voters chose Narendra Modi as their top choice for prime minister following the Balakot airstrike. Rahul Gandhi was loved by only 8% of people. Three-quarters of the voters who supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that Modi was the reason behind India's bombing in Balakot. They would not have supported Modi if the BJP had nominated someone else.
What exactly did India gain by the Balakot airstrike? is the question at hand.
India sent Pakistan a message that said, "We will not be intimidated by the possibility of nuclear war." Sushant Sarin, Expert in Defense Matters According to Sushant Sarin, India sent Pakistan a strong message: if you act arrogantly, we will reply. Pakistan's morale was damaged by this. He used to occasionally threaten a nuclear assault in the past, but that has since stopped.
People in the nation were confident that India wouldn't keep quiet, according to Satyapal Malik, a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The government took this decision at the right time and it was successful," says former governor Satyapal Malik. This has psychological benefits for India as well. People believed that our administration would respond forcefully if something came from Pakistan.
India's airstrike in Balakot served as a forceful response to Pakistan in this fashion. India made it clear that it will not think twice about utilize air power in response to any terrorist attack on the country by Pakistan. He won't give in to threats that a minor altercation could escalate into a nuclear conflict.
Pakistan, on the other hand, makes the opposite claim. He claims that when India replied following the Balakot airstrike the very next day, it could only release Wing Commander Abhinandan and was unable to launch a nuclear war.
Finally, was it possible to stop the Pulwama attack?
Sushant Sarin, a defense expert, states, "No matter how powerful your intelligence is,. Even if you fail 100 attacks, the 101st one will undoubtedly succeed. America hasn't been any better at this either. Yes, there was undoubtedly an intelligence lapse in this case.
"Just after the Pulwama attack, I gave a statement in the media that this attack happened due to our mistake," says former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satyapal Malik. The Home Ministry had been asked to provide five aircraft to the CRPF so they would not have to travel by road. For four months, his application was still being processed. None of the passageways were sanitized where the incident happened. That was also a breach of security.
Sandeep Pal's sketch
citation
How India Avenged Pulwama with the Balakot Strike
The Bravest of India's 2 IAF Strikes at 03:28
Read these Faisla series stories as well.
Episode 1: Traveled to Delhi and arrived in Lahore. The Pakistani Army chopper caused the officers' respiration to halt for ninety minutes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly arrived in Lahore on December 25, 2015. As soon as he landed at the airport, he was given an embrace by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Modi eventually got inside the Pakistani Army's helicopter. No Indian prime minister had ever sat in a Pakistani Army chopper prior to this. India's intelligence services were concerned about whether Pakistan might plan a plot as soon as the helicopter took off.
In 2015, Prime Minister Modi and Bangladesh inked a land border deal. Bangladesh received 111 villages, and India received just 51 under this. Bangladesh gained an additional 10,000 acres of land. When the BJP was in opposition, it opposed this move, but a year after taking office, the PM supported this arrangement.
