The foreign ministry briefed the media today stating that Pakistan had retaliated to yesterday’s air strikes at Balakot conducted by the Indian Air Force, by attacking ‘military installations’ in India.
The ministry spokesperson added that ‘Pakistani attempts were successfully foiled’ due to the ‘high state of readiness and alertness’ on the Indian side.
In a brief statement read out to the media, the spokesperson stated that the presence of the Pakistani Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded ‘instantly’. In the ‘aerial engagement’ that followed, one Pakistani Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG Bison 21 of the Indian Air Force. The aircraft was spotted to be falling on the ‘Pakistani side’ by ground forces. The Indian side has lost one MiG 21 through this encounter, the spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar stated. He further added that a pilot of the Indian Air Force is ‘missing in action’. The Pakistani side has claimed that he is ‘in their custody’. The Indian government however, is still ‘ascertaining facts’, the spokesperson stated.
