If US can kill Osama in Pakistan, why can’t India: Jaitley

Referring to the 2011 operation to capture and kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan’s Abbotabad, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday said if the US can do it, “why not India”.

“If the United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams (SEALs) can kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, then why can’t India,” he said in a press conference. His remarks come at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following a suicide attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14 in which 40 CRPF men were killed by a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist.

After that, in a pre-dawn attack, India Tuesday struck a terror camp at Balakot in Pakistan in what it termed was a “non-military pre-emptive action” after intelligence inputs reported of another fidayeen attack in India.

Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan claimed “strikes across LoC from within Pakistani airspace”, and released a video in which an IAF pilot is seen identifying himself as Wing Commander Abhinandan. However, a defence source had told news agency PTI that there was no damage to any IAF jets today.

The Indian Express has learnt that a complement of Pakistan Air Force aircraft, presumably comprising Mirages, F16s and JF17s, crossed over to the Indian side of LoC in Rajauri-Naushera sector. This attack happened around 10 am, and Pakistani bombs missed the targets which seemed to be an ammunition point, a supply point, a brigade headquarters and a battalion headquarters in the area.