ISLAMABAD – For the Indian Air Force has claimed it has bombed it. There isa huge confusion on where Balakot is located.
There are two areas called Balakot. The main Balakot, town which is knownto the world, is located in Mansehra district of Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)province of Pakistan and it is outside the territory of PakistanAdministered Kashmir.
The second Balakot where the Indian Air Force struck is a small villagelocated around 4 to 5km from the Line of Control (LoC) in the Pakistan sideof Kashmir. This area is mostly under the control of Pakistan army as thecivilian population has already been moved out of the area due to the fearof border clashes, a highly placed official told Gulf News.
He said the Indian Air Force did not enter Balakot town in KPK. The strikewas reported in Balakot village near the LOC.
Balakot Town in KPK was actually razed to the ground during the 2005earthquake and it was rebuilt over the years. It is one of the majortourist spots in Pakistan.
Pakistan government is discussing the option to respond to the Indian AirForce violation of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently chairing an emergencymeeting to review the emerging situation following the Indian claim ofhitting a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Pakistan.
The high level meeting is being attended by the top civil and militaryleadership, including Army Chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa, Minister ofDefence, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Qureshi has already briefed the meeting on the current situation in theaftermath of the LoC violation. The military leadership apprised themeeting regarding their preparedness to deal with any situation, sourcesadded. The meeting also discussed the future plan of action following theviolation, according to reports.
