On 26th February 2019 midnight, the Indian Air Force intruded Pakistan’s airspace and dropped payload to target civilians in Balakot. Luckily, the payload struck trees in Balakot, causing no damage to the valuable lives of Pakistani civilians.
The very next day, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched Operation Swift Retort to retaliate India’s intrusion and bombarded the Indian Army’s Northern Brigade where then Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was present.
Indian Air Force quickly dispatched interceptors to counter the air raid by PAF. However, with the perfect use of Electronic Warfare, PAF jammed communication of Indian Armed Forces. Due to lack of communication, Indian pilots crossed the line and entered Pakistani airspace without any warning.
Then Pakistani fighter pilots shot down two Indian fighter jets including Su-30MKI and MiG-21. Those Pakistani fighter pilots who shot down Indian fighter jets were Wing Commander Hassan Siddiqui (then Squadron Leader) and Group Captain Nouman Ali Khan (then Wing Commander).
Indian fighter pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (then Wing Commander) was captured by Pakistan Armed Forces. He was given medical aid and a cup of tea with a receipt of MiG-21 as the price of the cup of tea.