IAF pilot is missing in action with Pakistan, confirms India while Imran offers to talk

Pakistan has claimed that it has shot down two aircraft of the Indian Air Force and captured a pilot.

The neighbouring nation also released a video and claimed that it is of an Indian pilot named Abhinandan.

In response to the claims, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "The Pakistan Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded instantly. In that aerial engagement, one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force."

"The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21. The pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts," he said.

Pakistan on Wednesday claimed it has shot down Indian jets as a retaliation to the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s  surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) days after the Pulwama terror attack. 

Pakistan Armed Forces spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted, "In response to PAF strikes this morning as released by MoFA, IAF crossed LOC. PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts [sic] inside Pakistani airspace. One of the aircraft fell inside AJ&K while other fell inside IOK. One Indian pilot arrested by troops on ground while two in the area."

Let's talk: Imran Khan tells India

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said his country is ready to sit on any form of 'dialogue' with India on the issue of 'terrorism'.

Addressing the nation, Pakistan PM Imran Khan was quoted as saying by Geo News: "I wanted to take you into confidence regarding the situation arising since yesterday. We offered India that we are ready to cooperate with them in any kind of investigation after the Pulwama attack. I know the grief the families of [those killed in Pulwama attack] have been going through."

India conducts surgical strike:

The Indian government on Tuesday said the Indian Air Force (IAF) had carried out a "non-military pre-emptive" surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a step which seems to be a fitting reply to the recent Pulwama attack, which had left over 40 Indian paramilitary personnel martyred.

Briefing the media, India's foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said it was a non-military pre-emptive strike aimed at Jaish camps.

"In an intelligence led operation in the early hours of today, India struck the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated. This facility at Balakot was headed by MAULANA YOUSUF AZHAR (alias USTAD GHOURI), the brother-in-law of MASOOD AZHAR, Chief of JeM," the foreign secretary said.

He said India repeatedly urged Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil but without any action.

Justifying the action, Gokhale said: "India has been repeatedly urging Pakistan to take action against the JeM to prevent jihadis from being trained and armed inside Pakistan. Pakistan has taken no concrete actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil.

India blamed Pakistan for Pulwama

The latest strike by the IAF occurred just two weeks after the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir.

In the attack, 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed.

India after the attack by a suicide bomber of Jaish-e-Mohammad said: "This heinous and despicable act has been perpetrated by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation proscribed by the United Nations and other countries. This terror group is led by the international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by Government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity."

Images: AAP and PTI Twitter pages