Islamabad: The Pakistan army is in a state of “high alert” and ready to use all available resources, including F-16 fighter jets, in its arsenal in the face of an attack by nuclear-armed arch-rival India.
Last month, Pakistan and India nearly went to war after India carried out airstrikes in northern Pakistan in retaliation to a suicide attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistan. Pakistan responded with airstrikes of its own and pitting both countries to engage in aerial dogfights as ground forces maintained their line of defense.
Tensions have de-escalated somewhat after Pakistan returned an Indian pilot captured when two Indian jets were shot down by the Pakistan army.
“Every element of ours is on high alert” a military official told Arab News, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media on the record. “That includes air defense. We are using all options whether its J-F17, Mirage, or F-16,” he said, naming a range of different warplanes.
Citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter allowing members states to defend themselves against attack, the official said: “As legitimate self-defense, we have every right to use everything at our disposal.”
The official said the military had increased the number of troops and defense hardware at the Line of Control, which splits the disputed Kashmir valley into two parts, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan. The two neighbors have fought three wars since they gained independence from British rule in 1947, two of them over the disputed Kashmir valley.
Though it’s been two weeks since the peak of the standoff in February, “till de-escalation is not announced officially, the troops sitting at the first line of defense will remain,” the official added.
Foreign Office spokesman and Director General South Asia Dr. Mohammed Faisal who led a delegation to meet the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary, Mr. S.C.L. Das and his team in Attari, India on Thursday endorsed the comments of the military.
Hoping the discussions held with India, the first diplomatic dialogue held between both sides and a joint statement since 2015, would bring a thaw in relations, Faisal told Arab News that the tensed and frosty relations are heading towards de-escalation.
Both sides discussed "the modalities and the draft agreement for facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib [a Sikh shrine in Pakistan] using the Kartarpur Corridor".
“Due to the present prevailing situation they (Indians) are still somewhat reluctant but we are hopeful and our efforts are that the matter will de-escalate”, he said adding “in so many words we have kind of a dialogue with the Indians which they become jittery when we refer to it as such. But this is a dialogue and we are talking now.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman Iftikhar Durrani and media wing of the Pakistan army declined comment. The government’s spokesman Fawad Chaudhry did not respond to repeated phone calls seeking comment.
A well placed Pakistani intelligence official said, “the Indians” according to observation reports “are still seeking opportunity” for reprisal. “They haven’t announced de-escalation yet. The border firing was at its peak (two weeks ago) has reduced day by day. They had five CAPs (Combat Air Patrols) [meaning 10 aircrafts] in air twenty four seven maintaining vigil and to counter we had the equivalent airborne”, he said explaining the situation along the disputed border.
However on Tuesday night India vastly increased its presence in air by many folds outnumbering Pakistan warplanes “which indicates they aren’t willing to de-escalate”, the intelligence official told Arab News requesting not to be named as he is not authorized to speak to media.
On Tuesday, the Pakistan Air Force said it had significantly enhanced the war-fighting capability of its multi-role fighter jet, the JF17 Thunder, by successfully test-firing an indigenously developed, “extended range smart weapon” from the aircraft.
