India almost kissed a full-fledged war

For Jammu and Kashmir, 2019 was a year of massive changes with defining firsts and lasts and unprecedented curbs. On October 31, Jammu and Kashmir transitioned from a State into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

This was the first time a state was downsized into Union territories. The move was in accordance with the Centre's August 5 announcement withdrawing the state's special status under Article 370 and bifurcating the state into union territories.

The erstwhile state also saw its worst-ever terror attack on February 14. Forty CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama.

The Pulwama incident led to widespread outrage and the Centre vowed to avenge the deaths. On February 26, IAF jets carried out an attack on a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp at Balakot in Pakistan.

It was the first time India carried out any attack inside Pakistani territory since 1971. Pakistan Air Force reacted the next day by carrying out strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir but the Indian Air Force reacted swiftly, leading to an aerial dogfight.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, flying a vintage MiG 21 Bison, shot down a much superior F-16 of the Pakistan Air Force before he was brought down and captured by Pakistan army.

He was, however, handed back to India two days later. India and Pakistan came close to a full-blown war on at least two occasions in the last one year.

A day after the Balakot airstrike on February 26, the Pakistani Air Force in a tit-for-tat action had targeted India's military installations in the Rajouri-Poonch sector.

While there was jubilation across the country over the upper hand gained in the aerial dogfight, IAF lost six officers who were travelling in a helicopter on February 27 when it was brought down by their own colleagues in a case of mistaken identity.