IAF strikes: In all-party meet, Govt, opposition back security forces in one voice

New Delhi: An all-party meet on the pre-dawn air strikes operation by the Indian Air Force against the “biggest training camp” of Jaish-e-Mohammad’s (JeM) in Balakot was held on Tuesday in which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj briefed the leaders of opposition parties. She said that she was happy to see all parties united together over the strike. “I am happy that all representatives of political parties in one voice first congratulated the Indian Air Force and also assured the government of their complete support always on any action taken by us against militancy and displayed unity by rising above politics without distinguishing between the ruling or the opposition sides,” the minister said after the meeting.
According to reports, Swaraj also informed the opposition leaders in the meeting that she has spoken to US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo over the Indian Air Force strike. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Goel were also present in the meeting. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also lauded the IAF airstrikes. “We have appreciated the efforts by the forces, they always have our support to end militancy. Another good thing is that it was a clean operation which specifically targeted militants and training camps,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Leaders cutting across party lines lauded Tuesday’s IAF strike when the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighters destroyed a major Jaish camp across the Line of Control. The opposition had spoken in one voice in condemning the February 14 Pulwama attack.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi was among the first politicians to react to the early morning strike. Other leaders including BJP president Amit Shah, party leader Ram Madhav, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, too, tweeted congratulating the armed forces for striking militant training camp.