Nuclear-Armed India And Pakistan Face Off In Renewed Escalation

(Bloomberg Quint) Iain Marlow Kamran Haider February 26 2019 11:55 AM Its the biggest escalation between South Asias nuclear-armed rivals in decades and with a bitterly contested national election in India just weeks away Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to exploit his militarys air strikes on a terrorist camp inside Pakistan Tuesday. Speaking to a huge cheering crowd at an election rally in the state of Rajasthan Modi twice stated that India was in safe hands" and declared it a glorious day" without explicitly mentioning the attack.Indias fighter jets destroyed a major terrorist camp in Pakistan early Tuesday in the face of imminent danger" Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said in New Delhi. More than 300 people were killed in the air strikes on militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed according to an Indian official speaking on condition of anonymity. Pakistan had its own version of events.After scrambling its jets in response to Indias early-morning incursion across the border it released photographs of missile remnants it said had fallen on unoccupied territory. Prime Minister Imran Khans office said Pakistan would respond at the time and place of its choosing" rejecting Indias claim that it had hit a terror camp or inflicted heavy casualties. Once again the Indian government has resorted to a self-serving reckless and fictitious claim" a statement from Khans office said.