Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan called an emergency meeting of National Command Authority(NCA), which controls the nuclear arsenal of the country, on February 27, 2019. The meeting was attended by armed forces officials including three service chiefs and the top Pakistani ministers. It was held hours after the Indian Air Force launched an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot, in retaliation to the attack in Pulwama two weeks ago.
The claims of air strikes were dubbed as fictitious and reckless in the meeting. The Imran-Khan led forum also called the move an act “done for domestic consumption being in the election environment, putting regional peace and stability at grave risk.” It further said, “India has committed an uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing”. Mr. Khan also asked the people of the country “to remain prepared for all eventualities”.
A spokesperson for the country’s army said that Pakistan’s response would include all domains including “diplomatic, political and military“. It was also decided in the meeting that the issue would be raised by the country at the United Nations and other international forums.
“It has been decided that international leadership will be engaged with through the foreign office and prime minister. At the request of Pakistan, there is an OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) conflict group emergency meeting underway [in Jeddah], and Tehmina Janjua is representing Pakistan there. We will present Pakistan’s point of view at that forum,” Pakistan said in a statement.
Hours after the meeting the country’s foreign ministry summoned the Indian Acting High Commissioner and vehemently condemned the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, by India. According to the PTI Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that India has committed “aggression” by violating the LoC and Islamabad has “right to self-defense”.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is currently in China for a trilateral meet raised the Pulwama issue with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. She said that the Pulwama terror attack is the direct result of the “impunity and cover” provided to the Jaish-e-Muhammed by Pakistan.
In her opening remark during the meeting held on the sidelines of India Russia China trilateral meet Swaraj said “I am visiting China at a time when there is grief and anger in India. It is the worst terrorist attack directed against our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir”.
In the early hours of February 26, 2019, India carried out a “non-military, preemptive action” in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which according to some officials in New Delhi was a major terror camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The air strikes by the IAF came 12 days after a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel, the responsibility of which was claimed by the JeM.