New Delhi: After former Pakistan diplomat Agha Hilaly admitted to the deaths of 300 terrorists in the Balakot airstrike conducted by India, veteran BJP leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar slammed the opposition leaders and asked why they had raised questions over the bravery of the Indian armed forces.
Notably, several leaders of the opposition, including of the Congress, had put a question mark on the authenticity of the claims of the airstrike. Several political quarters had also asked the government for solid 'proof', especially since there were several conflicting reports and photos released of the alleged JeM camp and weapons cache sourced from intelligence sources.
Javadekar on this day said that Congress and the entire 'saboot gang' must apologise to the country for insulting the Indian Air Force and putting a question mark on the Balakot Airstrikes.
Sharing a news report of the former Pakistani diplomat's admission of the casualties, Javadekar wrote on his official Twitter handle, "Some Answers from across the border for the doubters. Congress and the entire 'saboot gang' must apologize to the country for insulting @IAF_MCC and putting a question mark on the #BalakotAirstrike ."
Earlier, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harnath Singh Yadav had also slammed opposition leaders over the issue.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said when Pakistan has accepted that terrorists were killed in the 2019 airstrike then why Opposition and Congress had refused to acknowledge it.
"When India conducted an airstrike in Balakot, there was panic inside Pakistan. People from all over the world praised India's valour. But at that time, the people from Congress Party and Oppositions were raising question marks on our Army. They said that fighter planes came back after dropping bombs on trees. Now Congress should answer the nation," Yadav told ANI.
In an embarrassing development for Pakistan, former diplomat Agha Hilaly admitted on a news show that 300 terrorists had died in the Balakot airstrike on February 26, 2019.
The admission by the former Pakistani diplomat, who regularly takes the Pakistan Army side in TV debates, goes against the zero casualties claim made by Islamabad at that time.
In a pre-dawn strike in February 26, 2019, IAF's Mirage 2000 fighter jets had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and carried out strikes in the terror camps in Pakistan.
