ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani officials Tuesday confirmed that Indian fighter jets violated the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir region and dropped a "payload" hastily, but rejected New Delhi's claim of killing over 300 people by striking a militant camp in its northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In a meeting chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the wake of the incident, Pakistani officials said the area where the payload was dropped is open for the world to see the facts on the ground.
"Indian government has resorted to a self serving, reckless and fictitious claim. This action has been done for domestic consumption being in election environment, putting regional peace and stability at grave risk," the prime minister office said after the National Security Committee meeting, attended by civil and military leadership including chiefs of armed forces, ministers of defense and foreign affairs and others.
"India has committed uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing," the meeting decided.
The prime minister also directed elements of national power including the army and the public to remain prepared for all eventualities and told officials to engage with global leaders to expose irresponsible Indian policy in the region.
Confirming the airstrikes, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale said a terror camp of the JeM was the lone target of the "non-military pre-emptive action" by India in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
Indian media claimed that Indian Air Force fighter jets entered Pakistani territory up to the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday Pakistan time (2200 GMT Monday), killing 300 militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), the group which New Delhi blamed to have killed 40 paramilitary troopers in an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir earlier this month.
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistani army's media wing, said the Indian aircraft were chased away from the country by timely action.
ISPR chief and military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the fleeing Indian aircraft released payload in haste while escaping. He also posted the pictures of the shards of metal scattered in an isolated forest area.
The ISPR chief refuted Indian media's claims of IAF planes hitting into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, saying the intrusion "across LoC in Muzaffarabad Sector within AJK (Azad Jammu and Kashmir, located in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir) was 3-4 miles."
