IAF Balakot strike: People were out on the streets carrying Indian flags and politicians cutting across party lines have come together to salute the armed forces. In the national capital, an autorickshaw driver was offering free rides to celebrate the occasion.
NEW DELHI: Hours after the government confirmed India's air strike on terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's training camp across the Line of Control on Tuesday, two weeks after 40 soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Kashmir's Pulwama, there were celebrations across the country on Tuesday.
People were out on the streets carrying Indian flags and politicians cutting across party lines have come together to salute the armed forces. In the national capital, an autorickshaw driver was offering free rides to celebrate the occasion.
The driver, Manoj, had put up posters on his auto which read, "To celebrate the revenge for the Pulwama attack, today this auto will offer free services." The posters also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the security forces.
"I cannot do much, but I am offering free rides. I am happy, I am not charging anything from commuters today," he told news agency ANI.
Based on intelligence inputs over the last few days, Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jets dropped 1,000-kg bombs on a vast camp at Pakistan's Balakot in "non-military, pre-emptive air strikes". The camp at Balakot was the hub of training for suicide attackers. Nestled in thick forests, the training camp was around 80 kilometres within Pakistan.
Sources said the government considered the prevailing mood in the country, with people paying moving tributes to the CRPF soldiers who died in the Pulwama terror attack and demanding strong action.
Balakot is about 60 kilometres from Abbotabad where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in hiding by covert US forces who had also sneaked into Pakistan to carry out the operation.