Blackout in Karachi triggers ‘Indian planes coming’ fear, residents confuse PAF planes as Indian fig

Late night on Tuesday, panic gripped across Pakistan after several social media users tweeted that the Indian Air Force fighter jets had crossed the Line of Control and flew over Karachi, leading to authorities in Pakistan blacking out the city.

Various social media users took to Twitter express their fear over another Indian Air Force action inside Pakistan. According to the local residents of Karachi, the city was put under ‘blackout’ after rumours of Indian Air Force fighter jets went close to Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

Pakistani journalist Wajhat Kazmi, took to Twitter to express his fear after social media users pointed out that Indian fighter jets were hovering around the port city of Karachi. Kazmi said that it was after 27th Feb 2019 – the night of Balakot airstrike, he was hearing PAF jets patrolling the sky and hoped that situation was not serious.

Salman Manzoor, a Karachi resident also shared a video on Twitter claiming that Pakistan Air Force had begun “JF17 Thunder” and Mirage” patrolling over Karachi and the border areas of Sindh after the formation of Indian jets was identified near LOC.

However, Pakistan Armed Forces has remained tight-lipped over the issue and its propaganda arm ISPR has yet to put any official statement over rumours of Indian Air Force jets crossing the LoC and the subsequent patrolling of PAF jet over Karachi and other parts of Sindh. The Indian Air Force has denied any such activity. In fact, it seems that the Pakistanis mistook PAF aircrafts for IAF aircrafts.

Meanwhile, social media users in India did not leave the golden opportunity to take a dig at Pakistani citizens. Ever since Balakot strikers occured, the Pakistani citizens have begun to be fearful of another action by the Indian Armed Forces, which was evident by their reaction on social media on Tuesday night following the rumours of IAF jets crossing LoC.

Many netizens from the country took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Tuesday’s ‘blackout’.

A user named Rahul reminded Pakistan of its bravado by posting a tweet put out by Pakistani Air Force just a day before the Balakot airstrikes, that stuck deep inside the Pakistan.

Pakistan Violates Ceasefire

Following the scare along the Line of Control, the Pakistanis have resorted to their usual tactics of violating ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowshera sector on Wednesday.

Reportedly, the Pakistan army resorted to small arms firing and intense mortar shelling along the LoC at Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district at around 7.30 am on Wednesday. The Indian Army has also retaliated to Pakistan’s shelling.