Govt should produce evidence of air strike: Digvijaya

Indore: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh Saturday urged the Centre to present evidence of the air strike on terrorist camps in Balakot.

He also “congratulated” Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for the release of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

Speaking to reporters here, the Rajya Sabha MP said, “I am not questioning the recent IAF action against Pakistan-based terrorist camps.

“But the pictures of any incident in open space can be accessed through satellite technology. So we should also give evidence, the way the United States government presented evidence before the world on (the killing of) Osama bin Laden,” he said.

Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday.

Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the Indian Air Force (IAF) thwarted their plans.

“I also congratulate the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan that he showed a new way of being a good neighbour and returned the brave officer of Indian Air Force to us,” the Congress leader said.

“Now he should show courage by handing over (terrorists) Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to us,” he added.

Singh said Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, and leaders of Khan’s own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, wanted their government to “bargain” with India for releasing Abhinandan.

Khan was criticised in Pakistan for releasing the Indian pilot without demanding anything in return, he said.

The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh also refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim on Friday that after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) wanted to conduct a surgical strike against Pakistan, but the Congress-led UPA government nixed the idea.

“I can only say that we have not seen a bigger liar than Narendra Modi,” Singh said when asked about Modi’s statement in Kanyakumari.