Naveed Miraj
Whilst 27th February will always be cherished and marked by Pakistani nation as a day of resounding victory, the Indians, on the other hand, especially its Air Force will never be able to forget the embarrassment it faced on this day at the hand of a much smaller but professionally very sound and valiant Shaheens of Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The whole world witnessed for itself how the PAF lit up the sky on 27th February 2019 and forced the Indian fighter jets to bite the dust.
Pakistan’s rapid response to a failed Indian surgical strike at Balakot itself speaks that not just the weapons or numbers but the resolve of a nation and the operational preparedness of Armed Forces define success in the face of adversity. Whilst the fourth anniversary of Operation Swift Retort is being observed, it is really important not only to recap the day but also to see and analyze how the two air forces acted.
The Indian Air Force, far superior in technology and number, attacked Balakot in a state of sheer panic and fear of being intercepted by the PAF fighters as the Indian pilots dumped their munitions and beat a hasty treat causing no damage except to a crow and a few pine trees, thus becoming a laughing stock in the world. On the contrary, the response of Pakistan’s forces was measured and well-calculated.
“The Real Heroes of Operation Swift Retort”
On the 27th of February 2019
Wing Commander Hassan Mehmood Siddiqui Tamgha-e-Jur'at (TJ) shot down an Indian fighter aircraft inside Pakistani airspace.@OfficialDGISPR #PakistanAirForce #Pakistan #IndianSurgicalDrama #ISPR pic.twitter.com/bNN4Ffjkix
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) February 26, 2023
Pak Forces demonstrated par excellence flying skills
The very words of the then Army Spokesperson Asif Ghafoor still echo our ears who said, “We will surprise you. Wait for the surprise. Our response will be different. See it for yourself. The response will come and response will come differently.” Then the Shaheens of PAF proved those lexemes absolutely true through their par excellence flying skills and capabilities, proving once again they are the best in the skies.
The Pakistani fighters as per the strategy targeted multiple locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir but deliberately dropped their payload off the target sites to avoid any human casualties. When IAF interceptors tried to retaliate, they were trapped and, in the dogfight, two IAF fighter aircraft MiG-21 and SU-30 were shot down by PAF. The debris of the SU-30 fell in occupied Kashmir and its pilot was killed. The MiG-21 pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured alive but later returned as a gesture of goodwill.
Pak Forces shattered myth of Indian military
On the same day, IAF shot down its own Mi-17 helicopter with SPYDER air defense system killing six Air Force personnel and 1 civilian in a frenzy of confusion. The way Pakistani forces shattered to pieces the myth of the Indian military will always be written in the annals of history with golden words. The entire nation is and will always be proud of its forces for living up to the occasion and delivering a bloody nose to the enemy.
Whilst the capabilities and gallantry of our armed forces are beyond any doubt, we should also remain alert on the mischievous activities on the part of our arch-enemy. Yet again EU Disinfolab, a Brussels based independent NGO has revealed in a report that the Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) continues to push fake narratives using non-existent sources and fake reports to target rivals especially Pakistan and China. We need to come up with more proactive strategies to counter the active hybrid war imposed by India.
