Pakistan claims IAF did not go deep into Pakistani territory

Pakistan claimed on Tuesday that Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and returned after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled war planes.

Pakistan has clarified that the IAF jets dropped bombs within Pakistani Kashmir at Balakote.

Amid confusion about the location as there are two places by the name of Balakot/Balakote, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Asif Ghafoor, said the "intrusion" took place within three to four miles of LoC in Pakistan administered Kashmir.

His earlier tweet had mentioned that the Indian fighters dropped a payload at Balakot.

A place called Balakot is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a Balakote is located in the Pakistani administered Kashmir.

Following an uproar in Pakistan about Indian jets flying deep into its territory, the DG ISPR clarified that the intrusion took place close to the LoC.

The alleged incident took place in the Muzaffarabad sector, said Radio Pakistan.

The IAF action follows a suicide bombing attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14 that killed 40 troopers.

The attack was claimed by Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and prompted a spike in tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Flight tracking websites spotted heightened activities along the border with an IAF early warning plane Emb 145 and mid-air refueller circling in the area early in the morning.

Reports claimed that the IAF strike was carried out by a group of Mirage 2000 fighters at around 3.30 a.m.

--IANS

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