Pakistan Army on Tuesday warned India to get ready for a befitting surprise. Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Ghafoor categorically denied India's claims of staying inside the Pakistani airspace for 21 minutes during their Line of Control breach, striking at alleged terrorist camps. India also claimed that the second strike was in Muzaffarabad and the third was in Chakothi.
Indian military planes had violated the LoC early on Tuesday, intruding from the Muzaffarabad Sector, following which "Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled" and Indian aircraft went back, the ISPR DG tweeted earlier on Tuesday, right after the Indian claims. During a press conference, Maj Gen Ghafoor challenged India to breach the Pakistani border and stay in Pakistan's airspace for more than 20 minutes.
"Almighty Allah is all powerful. Let India come and stay in Pakistani airspace for 21 minutes. We will see what will happen next," he said.
Major General Asif Ghafoor reiterated the statement issued after the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting convened by Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking the Armed Forces, elements of national power and the nation to get ready for any eventuality.
He said, "India should wait for our response, we will respond surprisingly and differently. The response will come at a point and time of our choice when our civil-military leadership decides, and as a matter of fact, it has been decided," he added.
Pakistani response will be in all domains, be it on political/democratic, military or economic grounds, the DG ISPR further said. "We have already exposed India and will do it again so the world might know what exactly India wants."
"According to war methodology, our entire Air Force could not have stayed airborne. Our safeguards on land were in place. So if they had tried an on-ground incursion, they would have met the response that we had planned."
"Last night, our radars were observing them. They had earlier come closer to our border but did not cross it, he said. He informed the media that the first visibility was observed near the Sialkot and Lahore border. "They were seen approaching the border. Our Combat Air Patrol (CAP) team approached and challenged them. They did not cross the border," he maintained.
"As per the SOP (standard operating procedure), when the first team got committed there, the next CAP team automatically was airborne. During this, another one of their formation was picked in Bahawalpur sector. The second standby team went down south and challenged it. We then observed that the heavier of their teams was approaching Muzaffarabad sector from Kiran Valley. When our third CAP team challenged them, they had crossed the LoC. Their approaching of the border which was 4-5 nautical miles inside the border, the challenge and their return took four minutes," said the ISPR DG.
"If they had struck any military position, an engagement would have happened. But they did not do that because if they had done so, our soldiers were ready," he added.
"India's purpose is not that. Modi's government, even when it violates ceasefire violations in Azad Kashmir, deliberately targets civil population. They did not want to strike military last night, as it would not have served their purpose," he said.
They wanted to target a place where civilians could have died, so they could claim that they targeted a terrorist camp, he added.
"This would have benefited their warmongering and politics. They entered from Kashmir's Tangdhar - they were timely and effectively challenged, and repulsed by the Air Force. On their way back, they jettisoned their payloads. Four of their bombs fell in [Balakot's] Jabba and they went back," he said.
"The ground troops' job is to ascertain if anything has fallen or not. When they [Indian aircraft] went back, we checked through our line of communication and found that there were no strikes.
"Where are the buildings that they destroyed - where are the 350 terrorists that they claim to have killed - anyone can go and check on Google Maps for themselves to see how many buildings existed there," he said.
Not even a single brick or debris is present there. They are claiming 350 deaths. Even had there been 10 casualties, there would be blood, funeral prayers, injuries, he further said.
He also sought proof or any evidence India has, saying even the video that Indian media has been showing has been on YouTube for the last 2 to 3 years.
He also invited local and foreign media to come over and visit the place, saying, "The spot is open for anybody and everybody: for ambassadors, defence attaches, UN Military Observer Group in Pakistan and others."
"Even the civilian population or army representatives from India can come through the authorised entry points in Pakistan. See it for yourself and go back and tell your prime minister," said the spokesperson.
"I told them [India] that you will never be able to surprise us. We have not been surprised. We were ready, we responded."
The claim of India being a democratic state has been proven wrong, he said. "You have chosen a path of war without knowing the consequence for the peace and stability of the region. We have fought for decades for this peace," he said.
"There is a joint session of the parliament and the prime minister has summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority [country's top nuclear body]. I hope you know what the NCA means and what it constitutes," he continued.
When asked why the Indians were not shot down, Maj Gen Ghafoor said he wished they had remained in Pakistan for some more time. "Had India taken the decision to attack military targets, it could have done so from a stand-off distance too. It could have aimed without crossing the LoC. Their target was just to take a dry run," said the DG ISPR.
"We have thousands of seminaries. They could have picked one, fired at it, and the casualties of our students would have made it easier to portray their lie as truth. They could have painted them as terrorists," he maintained.
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