Pakistan authorities plan to lodge a complaint with the United Nations, accusing India of ” eco-terrorism “. It says the airstrikes carried out by IAF jets on 26 February damaged pine trees and brought the nuclear-armed nations to blows, according to a Reuters report, quoting a Pakistan minister, published in Dawn.com.
Indian Air Force fighter planes crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and dropped a payload near the northern town of Balakot in a pre-dawn strike on Tuesday, which India has claimed was a pre-emptive action taken to destroy terror camps operated by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan. Indian authorities claim to have killed “hundreds of terrorists” in the attack.
Quoting Climate Change Minister Malik Amin Aslam, the Dawn report said IAF jets bombed a “forest reserve” and the Pakistan government was undertaking an environmental impact assessment, which would form the basis of the complaint at the UN and other fora.
“What happened over there is environmental terrorism,” Aslam told Reuters. He said dozens of pine trees had been felled, and that “there has been serious environmental damage”.
The report also said Reuters reporters visited the site of the bombings and found four large craters. They said up to 15 pine trees had been brought down by the blasts.