‘Were trees using 300 mobiles?’: Rajnath to Congress on Balakot strike

Rajnath Singh said the NTRO reported presence of around 300 mobile phones in the Jaish terror camp on the night of IAF strike.

Updated on: Mar 5, 2019, 22:04:24 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Union Home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday lashed out at opposition parties including the Congress for seeking clarification on the number of deaths of terrorists in the Indian Air Force strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed’s terror camp in Pakistan. Singh said those raising the question should go to Pakistan and count the bodies.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during an event in Dhubri, Assam. (HT Photo)

“Should our IAF pilots have visited the sites of the strikes and counted those killed? What kind of drama is this? If our friends in Congress want numbers, I would ask them to go to Pakistan and count. Ask people there how many people were killed by our IAF pilots,” said Singh while addressing a public meeting in Assam’s Dhubri.

The Union home minister’s comment comes amid growing chorus from the opposition following reports in international media suggesting that the IAF strike might not have caused great damage to terror infrastructure at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The IAF carried out a strike at Jaish terror camp in Pakistan on February 26 in the aftermath of Pulwama attack. Forty CRPF jawans were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh claimed that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India.

“Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders’ heart know how many were killed,” news agency PTI quoted Singh as saying.

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The home minister was on a visit to the Indo-Bangla border where he inaugurated a ‘smart fencing’ project. “If needed we will go to ‘paataal’ (underneath the Earth), search them (terror bases) there and take them to task,” Singh said amid cheers from the public.

While no information on the number of JeM terrorists killed in the strikes by 12 IAF Mirage 2000 jets have been released by the government, the figure of 250-300 deaths has been cited.

“Why are you asking us? NTRO, which is an authentic Indian surveillance system, has stated that when IAF jets struck the area with bombs, there were 300 mobile phones active there prior to the attacks,” Singh said.

“Were these phones being used by trees in that area? Or will you now say that we don’t believe in the NTRO either,” Singh said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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