Modi's ‘cloud benefit’ remark on Balakot strike painfully embarrassing: Mehbooba

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported remarks about clouds helping the Indian Air Force jets escape Pakistani radars during Balakot airstrikes as “painfully embarrassing”.

Mehbooba wondered whether the prime minister authorising the operation in bad weather by overruling the advice of the IAF led to the strikes “failing” to hit the intended target.

“No secret that Balakot strikes failed to hit the intended target. Was it because PM overruled the advice of IAF & authorised airstrikes in bad weather?” Mehbooba asked in a tweet. “Cloud cover logic is painfully embarrassing. Remind me again, why is RG (Congress president Rahul Gandhi) derided as Pappu? #cloudonradargone”.

The Peoples Democratic Party president said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ability to “suspend logic” in its quest to win another term is “mind numbingly fatuous”, adding that the armed forces do not deserve this.

“I was raked over the coals for questioning veracity of Balakot strikes. But seeing Pak media & journos troll PM on cloud gaffe is awfully embarrassing,” Mehbooba added.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah also took a sarcastic dig at Modi over the comments. “Pakistani radar doesn’t penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes,” he tweeted.