India has increased the operational readiness of its armed forces across the entire spectrum, ranging from fighters and tanks to warships and submarines, even as it solely blamed Pakistan for escalating the already present tensions by trying to target major Indian military installations with laser-guided bombs during its air intrusion across the Line of control (LOC) on Wednesday.
The top officers from operational directorates of IAF, Army and Navy conducted a press conference on Thursday and presented ‘credible evidence’ to show that Pakistan had indeed used F-16 fighters, along with JF-17s and Mirage-5 attack jets while breaching Indian airspace west of Rajouri in Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is a well-known fact that IAF blocked the attack but lost a MiG-21 flown by wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman during the dog fight between India and Pakistan, but not before destroying an F-16 and an R-73 missile.
Air Vice-Marshal RGK Kapoor told the media that “There is fairly credible evidence with us that there was massive damage to the JeM camp. It would be premature to say what the number of casualties there is. We destroyed what we intended to destroy.”
Major General SS Mahal said “Pakistan has actually escalated the situation by attempting to target our military establishments, specifically a brigade and battalion HQ, forward defences and a logistics base in Jammu and Kashmir. Our fight is against terror. As long as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists, we will continue to target terror camps.” Mahal also said “our ground-based air defence weapon systems have been put on alert. Mechanised formations, too, have been placed on standby. We are fully prepared and in a heightened state of readiness to respond to any provocation by Pakistan.”
Rear Admiral DS Gujral said the Navy was “poised in all three dimensions- surface, under the sea and in the air- to deter, prevent and defeat any misadventure. I can assure of a resolute, swift and strong response when needed.”