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If talks were the answer to terror, it would have been solved long ago: BJP President Amit Shah

OpIndia Staff
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If talks were the answer to terror, it would have been solved long ago: BJP President Amit Shah

BJP President Amit Shah on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has issued a stern message to Pakistan and it is up to Pakistan to decide its next course of action on dealing with terrorism emanating from its soil.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2019 in New Delhi, BJP President Amit Shah said that Pakistan should walk the talk when it comes to putting an end to terror. Amit Shah slammed Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khan for not condemning the terror attacks in Pulwama. He further said that Pakistan as a terror backer has been exposed.


Replying to the question of posters of Pulwama martyrs displayed at BJP party events, Amit Shah said the posters were there to be garlanded and for leaders to express their tribute.

Amit Shah slammed the Opposition parties for resorting to politics during this time of national crisis. “When the BJP was in Opposition and the government of the day faced such a crisis, the BJP had stood with the government. But the question the Opposition raised during the IAF’s airstrike on the terror camps in Pakistan after the Pulwama attack was uncalled for,” said Amit Shah. Hitting out at Congress, the BJP chief Amit Shah said that the Opposition was wrong in equating India with Pakistan.

Amit Shah added that if talks were the answer to terror, why any solution has not been found yet. The country needs to speak in one voice when terror comes calling, said the BJP president. Shah also said BJP senior leader and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa should not have politicised Pulwama attack and asserted that BJP is not going to reap the benefits of India’s air strikes in the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking on the issue of Kashmir, BJP chief said the mistake Jawahar Lal Nehru made in Kashmir can’t be easily solved. We have tried to solve the issue and we will find a solution for Kashmir in future days, said Amit Shah.

Speaking about the losses of the BJP in the recent state polls, Amit Shah said that the general elections will be fought on a different set of issues. The performance of the Narendra Modi government should be compared with the past government to ascertain the developments achieved, said Amit Shah.

BJP chief Amit Shah has said that the SP-BSP alliance is not a setback for their party. He added that despite the loss in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, BJP continues to have a strong base in these places.

“SP-BSP alliance is no set back for us. We started with 6 states in 2014 and now ruling in 16 states. There is a ray of hope in 50 Crore people that there is PM who think for poor, ” Amit Shah added.

Rejecting the allegations that the BJP government has been interfering with the working of public institutions, Amit Shah said an elected government has the right to give recommendations to RBI and other institutions. The elected government is accountable to the people. No institution is bigger than the country, said Amit Shah.

BJP president Amit Shah said the Congress does not have the moral right to question the Modi government on the alleged controlling of the institutions as it was the Congress which had imposed emergency.

“We are an elected govt which is responsible to people and parliament. Why can’t govt advise RBI? Who is accountable to people? CBI Director can’t be a dictator. We can’t change it but we can control,” said Amit Shah.

On Priyanka Gandhi joining active politics, BJP chief Amit downplayed Priyanka Gandhi’s role, said that she has been in politics for the last 12 years. “Mrs Vadra is in politics for the last 12 years. After losing polls they call it re-entry. People have no hope in it. The days for dynasty are gone,” said BJP President.

Congress spokesperson uses caricature of WC Abhinandan with a Pakistan flag in background to mock PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Congress spokesperson uses caricature of WC Abhinandan with a Pakistan flag in background to mock PM Modi

On a day when the entire nation is celebrating the scheduled return of Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was captured behind the LoC by Pakistani troops, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi was found mocking the Indian pilot and the government’s tough stand that made his return possible.

Congress spokesperson’s Tweet

In the Tweet, Chaturvedi has shared a caricature image by BBC Hindi of Wing Commander Abhinandan standing with a Pakistani flag in the background. While the word ‘Sevak’ is inscribed behind the IAF pilot, PM Modi is shown giving a speech with the BJP flag in the background, with the words ‘Pradhan Sevak’ inscribed in the background.

Chaturvedi’s Tweet and its underlined narrative is while the Indian pilot is suffering in Pakistan, PM Modi is busy addressing his party workers. However, Chaturvedi has conveniently ignored the fact that it is due to India’s tough stand that Pakistan has to obey the Geneva Conventions and return Abhinandan unconditionally that Pakistan has buckled. India had declared yesterday that Abhinandan will not be a bargaining chip and Pakistan has to release him immediately as per internationally accepted rules.

Many on social media have condemned the derogatory imagery and criticised Chaturvedi for sharing an image of the brave Indian pilot with the Pakistani flag.

via Twitter


As per reports, WC Abhinandan will be released today at the Wagah border. Abhinandan has, apart from displaying remarkable grit and bravery after being captured behind enemy lines, also achieved the rare feat of shooting down a fourth generation F-16 with a second generation Mig 21 Bison.

Caught red-handed, Pakistanis spread fake news that the missile used to target Indian military assets does not belong to them

OpIndia Staff
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Caught red-handed, Pakistanis spread fake news that the missile used to target Indian military assets does not belong to them

Soon after Indian Air Force displayed the pieces of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, which are compatible only with the F16 jets used by Pakistan Air Force to violate Indian airspace on March 27, Pakistanis on Twitter started spreading fake news and disowning their own missiles.


Zaid Hamid, a Pakistani war veteran of Soviet-Afghan conflict and a radical Islamist, shared an image which said that the AIM-120C5 AMRAAM Air Vehicle with code FA8675­05­C­0070 by Raytheon Company was sold to Taiwan and not Pakistan. Hence, he said, India’s claim that the missile wreckage belonged to Pakistan was false.

However, truth is that the missile belonged to contract number FA8675­05­C­0070 from the Lot 19 production. As per the official United States Air Force website, the FA8675­05­C­0070 belonged to production lot no 19.

ADR clause from the official US Air Force website detailing Lot no 19.

The FA8675­05­C­0070 is the contract between Raytheon, the manufacturer of the missile and the US Department of Defence. Missiles manufactured under this contract can be sold to multiple countries, like Pakistan and Taiwan (as Zaid Hamid claims).

Defence Analyst and journalist Shiv Aroor too responded to Zaid Hamid informing him that he has got his facts wrong.


Further, As per the contract details of Raytheon company, which supplied the missiles Pakistan Air Force’s F16 used to target Indian Military instalments, the 120C-5 missiles were sold to Pakistan.

Raytheon contract details of missiles sold to Pakistan

As seen above, the missile with contract number FA8675-05-C-0070, the casing of which was found by the Indian Air Force after taking down a Pakistani F16, indeed belonged to Pakistan.

The same contract number, FA8675-05-C-0070, was also mentioned in the casing displayed by the Indian Air Force.

Part of AMRAAM missile used to target Indian military assets

The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced amm-RAM), is a modern American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with a 7-inch (180mm) diameter form-and-fit factor, and employing active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance, it has the advantage of being a fire-and-forget weapon when compared to the previous generation Sparrow missiles.

Following the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror attack on CRPF convoy on February 14 which claimed lives of 44 soldiers, Indian Air Force on February 26 carried out airstrikes in Balakot region of Pakistan and destroyed terror camps thriving on Pakistani soil. Pakistan then retaliated by targeting India’s military installations on February 27. Following the aggression by Pakistan, Pakistanis, including the government of Pakistan has proceeded to spread numerous lies about the claims which are being called out by the Indian government and Indian Armed Forces.

Petition filed in Pakistan by Islamabad activist challenging the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan back to India

OpIndia Staff
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Petition filed in Pakistan by Islamabad activist challenging the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan back to India

After Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released back to India today, an Islamabad based activist has filed a petition in Pakistan High Court challenging the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.


Reportedly, the writ petition has not been accepted by the Pakistan court yet and the judge is set to hear the plea later today. Abhinandan had landed in POJK while chasing a Pakistan F16 out of Indian territory.

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman is likely to be brought from Rawalpindi to Lahore and handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross under rules of the Geneva Convention. Later, the IAF pilot will be brought to the JCP between 12 noon and 2 pm to return home. Wing Commander Varthaman will be debriefed by defence and security officials after his return.

Whether this writ petition affects the release of Abhinandan or not remains to be seen.

After Pakistan sponsored Pulwama terror attack, India carried out airstrikes against Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camps deep inside Pakistan territory. Following the airstrikes, Pakistan tried to attack India’s military installations and was successfully intercepted by the Indian Airforce. However, after India shot down Pakistan’s F16, Pakistan managed to capture Wing Commander Abhinandan who went down with one of India’s MiG21. After a strong stand taken by India where it asserted that it will not let Abhinandan be used as a bargaining chip, Pakistan decided to adhere to Geneva Convention rules and hand Abhinandan back to India. He is expected to land in India today.

He is in Pakistan, he is very unwell: Pakistan’s foreign minister admits terrorist Masood Azhar living in his country

OpIndia Staff
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He is in Pakistan, he is very unwell: Pakistan’s foreign minister admits terrorist Masood Azhar living in his country

After several rounds of denial and disapprovals, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan. He furthered that Azhar is unwell to the extent that he cannot move out of his house.


On being questioned about his arrest, Qureshi told CNN that India needs to provide solid evidence that is acceptable in the courts of Pakistan. India had on Wednesday handed over a dossier to Pakistan on Jaish’s role in the Pulwama terror attack.

On being questioned on the designation of Azhar as a global terrorist by the United Nation, Qureshi said Pakistan will welcome any step that leads to de-escalation. “If they have good solid evidence please sit and talk, please have dialogue and we will be reasonable,” he said.

In another big admission, which exposed Pakistan’s unscrupulousness, Pakistan’s railway minister, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad speaking in their Parliament yesterday, acknowledged that Indian Air Force had struck Masood Azhar’s madrassa. However, going by their usual practice, Pakistan had continued to claim that India did not hit the madrassa or cause any casualties following the IAF’s operation against Pakistan-backed terror camps on Wednesday.

Sheikh Rashid speaking in the joint session of parliament of Pakistan said, that 14 fighter planes of Indian Air Force had entered Pakistani air space, and the Madrassa run by “Azhar Sahab” at Jabba hill in Balakot was targeted. He added that at present the Madrassa is as good as not existent, implying that the Madrassa, which also doubles as a camp of Jaish, was destroyed by IAF.

Earlier, on Wednesday, during a media briefing by officials from the Joint Forces, Air Vice Marshall RGK Kapoor busted several false claims made by the Pakistan government.

Imran Khan’s government had maintained that they shot down two IAF jets and captured three pilots. But RGK Kapoor dismissed all such claims, revealing what exactly had happened.

Another fake narrative which was being spread by Pakistan was that no F-16 was used during this operation. But RGK Kapoor exposed this lie as well during the press briefing by showing proof that F-16 fighter jets were used.

India left Pakistan completely spooked after the IAF entered the Pakistan airspace in the wee hours of February 26th and bombed the Jaish camps in Pakistan, giving a befitting reply for the audacious Pulwama attack, in which India lost 40 of its CRPF soldiers. Now, probably realising that Pakistan had hypothesized India’s silence as its weakness and fearing severe action, Pakistan wants to hold peace talks with India, but India has made it sufficiently clear that unless Pakistan does not take any verifiable action against terrorism breeding on its soil India is not interested in any form of accord.

Wing Commander Abhinandan’s parents greeted with cheers and claps upon boarding flight

OpIndia Staff
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Wing Commander Abhinandan’s parents greeted with cheers and claps upon boarding flight

After a day of painful videos, obfuscation, and lies, Pakistan had yesterday yielded to intense diplomatic pressure and declared that it will release the captured Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. As per reports, the Indian government had made it absolutely clear that WC Abhinandan is not a bargaining chip and Pakistan is bound under clauses of the Geneva Convention to release him unconditionally.


After the news was made official yesterday, a great sense of relief had spread across the country. As seen in the videos and images shared widely in social media. WC Abhinandan had landed safely after ejecting from his Mig 21 but he was assaulted by locals. But in later videos, he was seen standing resolute and refusing to give any crucial details to his Pakistani interrogators. His sheer grit and courage despite being held behind enemy lines were highly praised by everyone.

As per reports, WC Abhinandan will be released at the Wagah border today. He is set to receive a grand heroic welcome in India. As per reports, Abhinandan’s parents have boarded a flight from Chennai to Delhi last night to receive their son. Upon boarding the aircraft from Chennai airport, they were greeted with loud cheers, claps, and greetings by fellow passengers.


Abhinandan’s father is Air Marshal (retd) S Varthaman. After news of Abhinandan’s capture broke out, his family had been under constant media glare. Air Marshal S Varthaman has penned a message earlier to thank all people for the prayers and blessings for Abhinandan’s safe return.

Wing Commander Abhinandan had also achieved the remarkable feat of shooting down a fourth generation modern F16 with an old second generation Mig 21 Bison.

As Pakistan resorts to heavy ceasefire violations again, what peace are we talking about?

Editorial Desk
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As Pakistan resorts to heavy ceasefire violations again, what peace are we talking about?

In the wee hours of Friday morning, Pakistan did what it does best. After crying about peace and winning accolades from our own “liberals”, it resorted to heavy shelling towards Indian posts and villages in Kamalkote area of Uri in Baramulla district. Reportedly, intermittent firing continued throughout the night. While some reports indicate that a civilian has been injured, others say there may have been one civilian casualty.

After Pakistan tasked Jaish-e-Mohammed to carry out the Pulwama attack of 14th February 2019, India had responded by carrying airstrikes deep inside Pakistan territory, reaching all the way up to Balakot. India bombed Jaish-e-Mohammad camps inside Pakistan’s territory, calling it a non-military action. The world stood toe-to-toe with India, supporting our right to self-defence. As tensions built up, Pakistan retaliated by breaching our airspace and trying to bomb our military installations.

It is rather intriguing that for Pakistan, the response for India flattening terror camps, products of which have been raising Jihad against India was attacking India’s military assets. It was almost as if Pakistan admitted that terrorists are a part, officially or unofficially, of their military might. That if India attacks the terrorists, they will attack Indian military. This, after they already had sent a suicide bomber for an attack that claimed 44 lives.

During the dogfight, India made history by shooting down American made F16, which was being used by Pakistan to attack India with the flying-coffin, ageing Russian MiG21. In the process, however, one of our pilots, Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan.

Pakistan, which is bound by the Geneva Convention to return a Prisoner of War and was scared out of its wits after the Indian mobilisation said that it would return Abhinandan to India. Of course, not before beating him black and blue and parading him to save its own skin.

For the liberals, Imran Khan became the hero. They called him the messiah of peace because he “chose” to follow the Geneva Convention. They called him a dove because, spooked by India’s aggressive stance, perhaps for the first time in History, Pakistan realised that it was running out of cards to play. For the first time, India said ‘enough’.

So far, Pakistan has been using terrorists to bleed India with a thousand cuts and using India’s “talk” to justify its overspending on military and its begging for alms from the United States. This time, however, India decided to fly its fighter jets deep into Pakistan, a few kilometres away from Abbotabbad, and bomb the terrorists. Pakistan came face to face with a real possibility – that it might actually have to defend itself against India which has an army that neither their terrorists nor their army could fight.

For Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan, the decision to return Abhinandan was one of self-preservation and not of benevolence. After all, he is the same Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan who suggested that Pakistani Taliban should be allowed to ‘open an office’ in Pakistan to facilitate “peace talks”. That’s not all. Imran Khan was also Taliban’s pick as peace talk mediator with Nawaz Sharif government.

In 2002 he had even said that the Taliban’s ‘holy war’ in Afghanistan is justified by Islamic law while visiting the hospital where Malala Yusufzai was treated a week prior. Malala, then a schoolgirl, was shot in the head by the Taliban in Swat valley of Pakistan in October 2012 for writing against the atrocities of Taliban in Swat Valley of Pakistan. This is the same Malala who today, wails for peace and keeps quiet when Pakistan attacks India with terrorists.

This is the same Imran Khan who posed with a weapon in the esteemed presence of terrorists.

This Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan was hailed as hailed by Indian “liberals” because their hate for Modi overpowers their sense and sensibilities.

While Indian “liberals” slobbered over Imran Khan who talked tall about “peace” and “de-escalation”, the rogue, terrorist nation resorted to heavy shelling along the border and injured one civilian.

The “liberals” love talking peace because they have built their career on tear-jerking. The fact, is, however, there can never be any “peace” with Pakistan because a leopard doesn’t change his spots. Pakistan is a terrorist country and should be acknowledged as such, led by a man who has actively supported Taliban and endorsed Jihad several times.

Every time India stands firm, Pakistan will whine with the held of the Pakistani-by-heart Indians and get India to back off, only to go back to its old ways the moment India blinks.

While the ‘liberals’ can put up Imran Khan posters in the bedroom, much like smitten teenagers, India has over 1 Billion people to keep safe and it is time that we stop giving any weight to Pakistan’s hollow words of “peace” every time India starts peeling their skin.

ED identifies and plans to seize 14 properties of LeT chief terrorist Hafiz Saeed in Jammu and Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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ED identifies and plans to seize 14 properties of LeT chief terrorist Hafiz Saeed in Jammu and Kashmir

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has decided to seize nearly 14 properties belonging to Pakistan-sponsored Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist outfit chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to clamp down on terror funding, reported Economic Times.

Reportedly, the ED has identified the “proceeds of crime” invested by Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali, who is alleged to be terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s financier. In August last year, Watali, 70, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over terror funding.

“The 14 properties identified include bungalows, palatial houses. All these properties will be attached,” a senior officer said according to the Economic Times report.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a fresh case against Hafiz Saeed on January 19, was already following one against him and others on the basis of a first information report (FIR) filed by the NIA in June 2017, as per the report. The LeT carried out the terror attacks on Parliament in 2001 and Mumbai in 2008.

Addition to that, the ED has identified properties worth Rs 50.73 crore in Mumbai and Pune belonging to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. These assets were allegedly acquired from the proceeds of crime, the agency sources told the publication. In October 2018, a special NIA court had ordered the attachment of four properties in Mumbai belonging to Zakir Naik, booked under an anti-terror law.

Besides, the ED has identified 13 properties belonging to other militant organisations. Attachments in six cases have already been executed by the agency, the report said.

The ED has also set up a special task force (STF) last month to deal with the rising illegal drug trade through the country’s borders, which is believed to be a source of funding for terrorist groups. The STF will be headed by a special director or an officer of equivalent rank and will comprise a joint director, deputy director and other officers.

Jammu and Kashmir: Border reservation act amended, economic reservation extended, Jamaat-e-Islami banned

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Border reservation act amended, economic reservation extended, Jamaat-e-Islami banned

In a significant development at a time when the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is tense following Pulwama terror attack and subsequent actions by Indian and Pakistani air forces, the government of India has decided to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, and amended two laws related to Jammu and Kashmir. The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting today, which was informed at a press briefing by Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.


The union government issued “The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance” to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, which is applicable for the state. With the amendment, persons living in the areas beside the international border have been brought under the reservation, at par with persons living in areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control (ALoC). At present, the Act provides reservation to people living near the Line of Actual Control, which means only people living near border areas in the Kashmir region are eligible for these reservations. After this amendment, people living in border areas in the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir will be eligible for reservation under the act.


Due to continuous cross border tensions, persons living alongside International Border suffer from socio-economic and educational backwardness. Shelling from across the border often compels these residents to move to safer places and is adversely impacting their education as Educational Institutions remain closed for long periods. Hence, it was felt justifiable to extend the reservation benefits to persons residing in the areas adjoining International Border on the similar lines of the persons living in areas adjoining Actual Line of Control (ALoC), the government said.

The cabinet also approved Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment order, 2019, to amend the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) order, 1954. The amendment has been issued under the clause (1) of Article 370 of the Constitution. This amendment extends the provisions of 77th and 103rd Amendments of the Constitution to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The 77th Amendment had empowered the government to make any provision for reservation for any caste or class of people. On the other hand, the 103rd Amendment had made provision for 10% reservation for economically backward people not covered under existing reservation laws.

In January this year, the Jammu and Kashmir government, which is currently under governor’s rule, had given consent to the amendments which were cleared by the cabinet today.


In a notification published in the Gazette of India, Jammat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir has been declared as “unlawful organisation” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by the government. The order notes that JeI has been in touch with militant outfits and is supporting extremist activities and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. It said that JeI is supporting demands from secession from India, and has bee supporting terrorist and separatist groups. The organisation is also involved in anti-national and subversive activities.

14 IAF planes entered Pakistan, four of them bombed Masood Azhar’s camp, says Pakistan Rail Minister

OpIndia Staff
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14 IAF planes entered Pakistan, four of them bombed Masood Azhar’s camp, says Pakistan Rail Minister

After the Indian government had informed that Indian Air Force had destroyed training camps of Jaish‑e‑Mohammed in Balakot by bombing them on the early hours of 26th February, Pakistan had denied that any infrastructure was hit. They had claimed that only four bombs were dropped by IAF and all of them had missed the target by a distance and fell on empty grounds. They had also shared photographs of craters created by the bombs on the ground.

Following this, many people in India, including journalists and politicians, had chosen to believe the government of Pakistan more than India, and were asking for proof of the attack from the government. But now a Pakistani minister has admitted that India had bombed terror camps in Pakistan, that too in Pakistan parliament.

Speaking in a joint session of parliament of Pakistan, rail minister of Pakistan Sheikh Rashid said that 14 fighter planes of Indian Air Force had entered Pakistani air space, and the Madrassa run by “Azhar Sahab” at Jabba hill in Balakot was targeted. He added that at present the Madrassa is as good as not existent, implying that the Madrassa, which also doubles as a camp of Jaish, was destroyed by IAF.

“Azhar Sahab” here means Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish‑e‑Mohammed, and it is well known that he runs a Madrassa at Balakot. Rashid informed the parliament that while 14 planes had entered Pakistan, 4 of them bombed the area while the rest 10 remained in defensive formation.

The 14 aircraft that the Pakistan Rail Minister mentioned include 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets, one Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft Netra, and one unmanned aerial vehicle Heron.

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