Chennai: At at time when government is yet to give an official count of terrorists killed in India’s air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot last week, BJP president Amit Shah has declared it stating that more than 250 terrorists were killed in that operation at an election rally on Sunday in Ahmedabad making him the first leader of the ruling party to put out a figure on record amid questions raised by the opposition.
“After Uri, our forces went into Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes. They avenged the death of our soldiers. After Pulwama, everyone thought there could be no surgical strikes, what will happen? But under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government carried out an air strike after the 13th day and killed more than 250 terrorists,” Amit Shah said in Gujarati. The chief also said India was only the third country after the US and Israel to avenge attacks on its armed forces.
At an another event in Surat, Amit Shah also said, “Earlier our jawans used to be beheaded and insulted but today, situation is such that when our jawan fell in Pakistan while shooting down an F-16, within 24 hours he was back. This change is because of Narendra Modi’s will power.”
Referring to political opponents like Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav asking for details of the air strike and its impact following skeptical reports by a section of the world media, Amit Shah said, “They should be ashamed of their statements. The statements have brought a smile to Pakistan’s face.”
On 26 February, hours after India sent fighter planes into Pakistan for the first time in decades and targeted a training facility of the Jaish-e-Mohammed – the terror group behind the suicide attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama in which over 40 soldiers were killed – a terrorist death count of 300 floated around but there was no official confirmation. The Air Force has also refused to give any figures.