Pak activist says IAF airstrike killed terrorists at Balakot, army shifted 200 bodies

A political row has erupted over the impact of the Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes with some sections of the government estimating 300-350 casualties although an official figure is yet to be disclosed. As there is some fog on the number of casualties, a debate has been fanned by news reports and doubts have been raised about the damage caused by the air strikes. However, people do have the right to know so that rumours and confusion could be put to an end. 

Recently, a United States-based activist from Gilgit has reportedly claimed that after the IAF air strikes, bodies of more than 200 militants were shifted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Balakot sector of Pakistan. There have been reports in the Urdu media about some bodies being transported from Balakot to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas of Pakistan after India's pre-emtive strike, claimed Senge Hasnan Sering. 

Taking to Twitter, the activist from Gilgit shared a video on his Twitter handle and wrote: "A Pakistan military officer admits to "martyrdom" of more than 200 militants during Indian strike on Balakot and vows to support their families." In the video, the officer can also be heard saying, "Mujahids receive special favours and sustenance from Allah as they fight to support the Pakistani government against enemies."

"I'm not sure how authentic this video is but Pakistan is definitely hiding something very important that has happened in Balakot. International, as well as local media, have not been allowed to inspect the site and assess the damages there. Pakistan continues to claim that the strike happened and it damaged the forest area and some farmland. But then there's no reason for Pakistan to cordon off the area for such a long time and not allow the international media to have an independent opinion on the situation there," Sering told news agency ANI.

"At the same time, the JeM claims that its Madrassa was there. Also, there have been reports in the Urdu media of some dead bodies being transported from Balakot to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas a few days or the next day after the attack happened. So there is enough evidence where one could speculate with confidence that the Balakot strike by the IAF was successful and Pakistan has not been able to prove otherwise since it has not enabled the international media or national media to visit the site," he added.

AIRSTRIKE 2019

The town of Balakot was struck by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at 3:30 am on the morning of February 26 in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, twelve days after the Pulwama terror attack on 14 February. The IAF fighter jets dropped around 1,000kg bombs, which reportedly killed at least 350 Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists. However, Pakistan has denied time and again India's claims of having inflicted casualties at the JeM terror camps.

NOTE: International Business Times has not yet verified the authenticity of the video.