Narendra Modi on Balakot air strikes: 'Made decision as game must be played from where terror is controlled'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he made the decision for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to conduct Balakot air strikes as he thought that “the game” should be played from where terrorism is being remote-controlled.

Addressing a ‘Main bhi Chowkidar’ event, he said Pakistan was in a fix because if it acknowledges the air strikes, it will have to accept that there were terror camps there.

“They have been saying that there are no terror camps. Now they have to hide it. They are not allowing anybody to go there. We’ve been told Balakot area is being reconstructed by Pakistan to show that a school is being run there, so that people can be taken there and shown that no terror camp existed there,” he said.

“Those abusing Modi on Balakot air strikes are helping Pakistan with their statements,” he said.

The event was beamed across the country at 500 places where gatherings of BJP workers, professionals, chowkidars (watchmen), traders, farmers among others listened to Modi and interacted with him through video-conferencing.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after IAF fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan on 26 February.

Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations the next day. However, the IAF thwarted their plans.

The Indian strike on the JeM camp came 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama in which over 40 soldiers were killed.