Families of soldiers’ killed in Pulwama attack seek proof of Balakot airstrike

After conflicting claims in media reports, several families of CRPF soldiers killed in the Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14, have started demanding proof of the Balakot airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp.

Earlier, opposition parties had slammed BJP for politicising the airstrike conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF) on a terrorist camp in Pakistan’s Balakot, demanding that Modi government should release the evidence of the airstrikes on terror launch pads.

Incidentally, contrary to the claims of Indian media, the international media has reported that there was no proof of terrorists' death in the Balakot air strike. Several Indian media reports quoting anonymous government sources had reported that Jaish's Balakot base had over 300 terrorists when Indian AIR Force warplanes bombed it.

"Like in our case (Pulwama) we saw someone 's hands, someone's limbs, we need to see something from the other side. Someone took responsibility for the bomb attack almost immediately. I am sure the strikes have happened but where have they done it? There should be clear proof. Until there is proof, how can we accept it? Pakistan says there is no damage to them so how can we accept it unless there is proof," questioned Ram Raksha, the sister of Ram Vakeel, a deceased CRPF jawan from Uttar Pradesh, was quoted as saying by the NDTV. "Show us, only then we will get peace and know that my brother's killing has been avenged."

"We are not satisfied. So many sons died. We saw no one dead. There are no dead bodies on the other side. In fact, there was no confirmed news. We need to see this on TV. And we need to be told at our homes. We need to see the dead bodies of the terrorists," the mother of Pradeep Kumar, Sulelata, in her 80s, told the NDTV.

“As evidence, we have received the bodies of our jawans after Pulwama attack, but there is no such evidence of the airstrikes in Pakistan,” reported The Times of India quoting Geeta Devi, widow of another slain soldier, Ram Vakeel.

Speaking in support of Geeta, Ram Vakeel’s sister said that people should know what exactly had happened. Terming the government’s claims of killing 300 terrorists as false, she added that how do they believe that the strike occurred and terrorists died?

Meanwhile Martyr Ram Vakeel’s brother Ramnaresh told the media that if the government is claiming that they have killed 300 terrorists then they should provide some proof, some evidence.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the government does not have the number of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists killed in the IAF strike in Pakistan’s Balakot and attacked those questioning its veracity, insisting people who do that are indulging in politics over the valour of the armed forces. He said the number of fatalities at the JeM terror training camp will be known some day.

Singh, however, claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) has informed the security establishment about the presence of around 300 “active” mobile phones at the training camp site before the IAF bombing.