'Ghost of Balakot’ laid to rest: Air Force chief on why videos of Operation Sindoor matter - watch

NEW DELHI: Air Force Chief Marshal AP Singh on Saturday expressed regret over lack of video evidence on 2019 Balakot airstrike, a gap that had fueled opposition leaders' doubts over its impact. He said the issue was addressed during Operation Sindoor, where recorded footage of the airstrikes helped lay to rest what he called the “ghost of Balakot.”

"In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people, unfortunately, as to what we have been able to achieve. We had intelligence (human kind of intelligence) on what had gone on inside, where we had a very clear picture of the inside in terms of there having been huge damage. There have been so many terrorists who have been neutralised, but we could not convince our own people that, look, we have achieved that," he said addressing a gathering at the Hal Management Academy.


"Things like this would have given us the same problem (regarding Operation Sindoor). However, we were lucky that we got these videos in the open. So, I'm very happy that this time we were able to take care of that ghost of Balakot, and we were able to tell the world what we have achieved," he added.

Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, had asked for a proof on Balakot airstrikes which were carried in response to Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of at least 40 CRPF soldiers.

“I read in newspapers that families of CRPF jawans have raised the demand. This is their feeling and Congress leaders have also spoken on this and it’s done. I don’t want to go into this issue. This is the feeling among families of jawans that we have been hurt and we should be shown what has been done on this,” Rahul Gandhi had said in 2019.

More recently, Congress MP and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi questioned the Balakot surgical strikes, reiterating his long-standing demand for proof of the operation.

"Till date, I could not find where the (surgical) strike took place, where men were killed at that time, and where this happened in Pakistan. Will we not find out if a bomb is dropped in our country? They say that they did a surgical strike in Pakistan. Nothing had happened. Nowhere was a surgical strike seen. Nobody came to know," he had said.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes, messages and quotes !