File photo shared by ISPR spokesman of the Indian payload allegedly being dropped in open land
The armed forces on Tuesday marked the 5th anniversary of ‘Operation Swift Retort,’ stressing the events of Feb. 27, 2019 had demonstrated the “absolute operational ascendance” of Pakistan’s armed forces over their Indian counterparts.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said the armed forces, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and the services chiefs had commemorated the fifth anniversary. “Feb. 27, 2019, marked a significant event in our history, demonstrating the resolve of the people of Pakistan and the professionalism of the armed forces in response to unwarranted aggression from India, motivated by political considerations and electoral concerns,” it said, noting this was despite “desperate” Indian attempts to favorably shape the information space.
“The steadfastness and competence of Pakistan’s armed forces were acknowledged by military experts and analysts throughout the world, effectively debunking frivolous Indian claims, which could not stand to factual scrutiny,” read the statement issued by the military’s media wing. “The strategic foresight to return the downed pilot in interest of peace, from a position of strength and after having dominated the opposing force decisively, is unanimously hailed, to this day, by the international community as a remarkable gesture of political maturity and superior statecraft,” it added.
Emphasizing that as a state “committed to peace,” Pakistan would continue to highlight the importance of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, it added: “Any aggression against the people of Pakistan, our sovereignty and territorial integrity, will however be responded immediately, with full might and without any hesitation. Every single time.”
On Feb. 27, 2019, Indian military planes violated the Line of Control, intruding from the Muzaffarabad sector, with the Pakistan Air Force driving them back, according to an ISPR statement. The incursion, per India, was in “retaliation” for an attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama sector on Feb. 14, 2019, in which more than 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed.