NEW DELHI – Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who broke hersilence today on the so called Balakot airstrike failed to give any figureabout casualties.
Sitharaman’s remarks come amidst the opposition ,media and general publicseeking details of the death toll in airstrikes on 26th of last month .
Amid Questions by the anxious India media persons in Chennai today,NirmalaSitharaman said the India goverment’s position on the number of casualtiesat Balakot is the same as the one provided by the Foreign Secretary VijayGokhale in his statement.
Indian Defence Minister appeared ridiculous leading to another huge debatewhen she said all this as Foreign Secretary actually gave no figure makingthe whole Balakot airstrike episode as a debacle.
Asked if the government would release satellite imagery of the strike area,the Defence Minister denied it.
Moreover,the Indian Air Force even has not given any casualty figure.
Read Top Stories
Indian Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa talking to reporters has said the AirForce is not in a position to clarify the position and doesn’t count thenumber of casualties.
However,contrary to Defence Minister and Air Chief BJP president Amit Shahhad claimed that 250 terrorists were killed, while Union Minister of Statefor Electronics and Information Technology S.S. Ahluwalia claimed theattack on Balakot was only to deliver a warning for Pakistan.
Indian opposition and general public both have been battering thegovernment led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the airstrike.
