Opposition Parties Condemn Pakistan Misadventure & Express Deep Concern of Missing IAF Pilot, Ask Why No All-Party Meet Called By Modi Government
The opposition on Wednesday condemned Pakistan misadventure and expressed deep concern for the safety of missing Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot. The opposition also slammed PM Modi for not calling an all-party meet.
New Delhi, February 27: Opposition parties on Wednesday condemned Pakistan misadventure and expressed deep concern for the safety of missing Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot. The opposition also urged the government to take the nation into confidence on all measures to protect India's sovereignty, unity and integrity. After the meeting of 21 opposition parties, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “The meeting of leaders of 21 political parties condemned the dastardly Pulwama attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed on 14th February 2019 and lauded the action taken by our armed forces.”
Rahul Gandhi's statement after opposition meet:
In the meeting, opposition parties also raised questions as to why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not called the all-party meet till now to discuss the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan. Among those present were former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and party colleague Praful Patel. The Opposition on Tuesday had decided to drop the formulation of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) as the agenda for their meeting in view of the prevailing security situation in the country.
Earlier, Pakistan claimed that it shot down two Indian fighter jets over Pakistani air space and apprehended two IAF pilots. Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed that two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were arrested. One pilot is injured and has been shifted to a hospital, while another one is unhurt, the spokesman added. The spokesman also showed items and documents recovered from the arrested pilots. In a 46-second video released by the Pakistan Army, a blindfolded man claimed that he's IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan. #SayNoToWar Trends on Twitter as Tensions Escalate Between India And Pakistan; Check Tweets by Users In Both Countries.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Pakistan Air Force targeted military installations in India in response to Indian counter-terrorism operations, but their attempts were foiled successfully, though one Indian pilot is "missing in action".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 27, 2019 06:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).