Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack does not exist in Pakistan, the military’s spokesperson has said, days after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted that the terror outfit’s chief is present in the country.
The already sour relations between India and Pakistan have worsened after Pakistan-based JeM claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor when asked if the two countries were close to war after the attack told CNN, “We were I would say close to war because when they (India) violated the airspace under token aggression, we went for response.”
“Along the LoC we were eyeball-to-eyeball. There is presence of troops at the LoC for decades. But post the Indian aggression and our response, the safeguards have been taken by both side,” Ghafoor said on the situation along the LoC.
He said troops had been increased “because it is natural as part of military planning. When the situation gets hot there are safeguards. Those safeguards are in place on both sides.” After the Pulwama attack, the IAF carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.
The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on Friday.