Indian attack never materialised because Pakistan had warned of crippling response: Asad Umar

Pakistan had received intelligence reports on February 27, 2019 that India was preparing to attack at 9:00pm, but the attack in question never materialised because Islamabad had promised a crippling counter-attack to New Delhi in response.

This was revealed by Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar via a tweet Thursday evening, moments after the army's media wing made a detailed statement on the events surrounding that day.

The minister was responding to PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq, who had claimed a day earlier that IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman had been returned to India because the Pakistani government had been under pressure and feared there would be an attack from the Indian side. 

Sadiq had wondered why the downed pilot was returned even though the attack in question never materialised.

Responding to the former National Assembly speaker's comments, Umar said the reason the attack did not materialise only because New Delhi had been warned that Pakistan knew of its intentions and that there would be a disproportionate response if the attack was carried out. 

Umar said that he had been part of the meeting that Ayaz Sadiq had spoken about.

"Abhinandan's release was not even discussed. The matter was actually discussed the next day for the very first time," tweeted Umar, wondering why such a "white lie" was spoken and whom it was meant to please.

The minister said that Pakistan did indeed receive intelligence that India was preparing to attack at 9:00pm. However, a message was sent to Delhi warning that Pakistan knew and was prepared to respond with a "fatal blow".

In another tweet, Umar paid tribute to the armed forces, saying that their response to India's Balakot bombing had proven to the world that Pakistan was unflinching in its resolve to defend its territorial integrity.