New Delhi: India on Thursday night neutralised Pakistan military’s attempt to hit military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and some other locations with missiles and drones as tensions soared between the two countries amid fears of a wider military conflict.
Sirens and numerous explosions were reported in Akhnoor, Samba, Baramulla and Kupwara and several other places as the Indian military carried out a massive night aerial vigil along the border with Pakistan.
After the Indian military foiled the Pakistani attempts, the defence ministry said India remains “fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people”.
“Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir today,” a defence ministry spokesperson said.
“The threats were swiftly neutralised using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in line with established standard operating procedures (SOPs),” he said.
“No casualties or material losses were reported,” the official added as the second day of the confrontation between the two militaries further escalated the already tense situation.
Military sources said missiles from Pakistan were also directed at Jammu’s Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia towns and that they were blocked by India’s air defence systems.
Indian military officials said the Pakistani drones and missiles were effectively engaged by Indian armed forces and the attempts by the enemy were thwarted.
Pakistan’s fresh attempts to target Indian military installations came less than 24 hours after a similar attempt.
On Thursday afternoon, the defence ministry said Indian armed forces foiled Pakistan’s attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country using missiles and drones.
It said the Pakistani military attempted last night to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj.
In its response this morning, India launched kamikaze drones and destroyed a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore.
The ministry said, “Indian armed forces this morning targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan.”
“Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” it said.
In retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out the missile and drone strikes on nine terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on early Wednesday.
Following the strikes, Pakistan vowed to give a “befitting reply”.
As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said no limit will become an obstacle to protect India’s sovereignty and the nation is fully prepared for such responses.
The defence minister said India has always played the role of a responsible nation exercising great restraint and it believes in resolving issues through dialogue.
“However, if anyone tries to take advantage of this restraint, they will face quality action,” he said.
“We are fully prepared for such responsible responses in the future as well,” he said.
