New Delhi: Indian armed forces responded proportionately and adequately to Pakistan’s attempts to target Indian installations last night, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday.
The foreign secretary was addressing a press conference here.
Pakistan violated Indian airspace to target our military installations on the intervening night of May 8 and 9, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said.
She said Pakistan sent 300-400 drones in 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek last night to target Indian military installations and the drones were shot down by Indian military.
Pakistan violated Indian airspace to target our military installations, she said.
In his remarks, Misri said the Pakistani side targeted places of worship with a particular design and it is a new low even for that country.
Misri also said that Pakistan’s attack on places of worship and its “preposterous” attempts to put the blame on Indian armed forces is reflective of Islamabad’s evil design and efforts to deceive and mislead the world.
Citing Pakistan’s attack on a gurdwara in Amritsar and its subsequent attempt to blame it on Indian armed forces, Misri said Islamabad’s thinking that India would attack its own cities is the kind of “deranged fantasy” that only the Pakistani state can come up with.
At the media briefing, the foreign secretary blasted Pakistan’s provocative and escalatory actions to try and target Indian cities and civilian infrastructure using drones last night.
Misri especially hit out at Pakistan for its “blatantly farcical denial” of these attacks saying it is yet another example of Islamabad’s duplicity and the “new depths” that it is plumbing to in its “quest for disinformation”.
Misri was severely critical of Pakistan for targeting religious places with an aim to give a communal colour to the current situation, and pointed to an incident of Pakistan attacking a gurdwara in Poonch and another religious place in Amritsar.
“Instead of owning up to these attacks, Pakistan made the preposterous and outrageous claim that it was the Indian armed forces and the Indian Air Force that was targeting cities like Amritsar and trying to put the blame on Pakistan,” he said.
“This is nothing but a desperate attempt by Pakistan to disown its acts of aggression; but it is also true to its efforts to deceive and mislead the world. It will not succeed,” Misri said.
He said that “we would attack our own cities” is the kind of deranged fantasy that only the Pakistani state can come up with.
Perhaps they do it because they are well versed in such action as their history would show, he said.
Misri described it as a “blatant lie” Pakistan’s allegations of India targeting the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara using a drone.
“This is again yet another blatant lie and part of Pakistan’s disinformation campaign. As we saw in the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan is again trying desperately to impart a communal hue to the situation with an intention to create discord,” he said.
“Again, we are not surprised. India’s steadfast unity in itself is a challenge to Pakistan,” he said.
Misri said in view of the existing security scenario, the Kartarpur Sahib corridor has been suspended.
On India’s strikes on Bahawalpur’s Markaz Subhan Allah – the nerve centre of Jaish-e-Mohammed linked to the killing of Daniel Pearl, a journalist with The Wall Street Journal, Misri said the terror outfit was “directly or indirectly” responsible for his death.
“Bahawalpur is the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group that is proscribed by the UN. Its leader Masood Azhar, is a proscribed individual,” he said, responding to a question.
“You brought up the connection with the tragic death or killing of Daniel Pearl of the Wall Street Journal. The JeM was in some way directly or indirectly responsible for the death of Daniel Pearl,” he said.
“But the real connection is through Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the British Pakistani jihadi who was held in India but was finally released in 2000 and he was the person who lured Daniel Pearl to his…murder,” Misri said.
Pak unleashed Turkish drones to target Indian installations last night: Indian Army
Pakistan unleashed a swarm of Turkish drones to target Indian military facilities, probe air defence systems and gather intelligence last night and kept its civil airspace open during the assault endangering civilian flights, officials said on Friday as the conflict between two militaries spiralled.
Most drones were downed using kinetic and non-kinetic means, said Col Sofiya Qureshi of the Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Air Force.
The two military officials said Pakistan used its civil airliners as a “shield” as it did not close its civil airspace during its attempts to attack Indian installations with drones and missiles on May 7, knowing fully well that the strikes would elicit a swift response from India.
“On the night of May 8-9, Pakistan carried out large-scale violations of Indian airspace, attempting to target military infrastructure with 300-?400 drones across 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek,” said Singh.
“Indian forces neutralised many drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means. An armed UAV strike on Bhatinda was also thwarted,” she said.
India responded by launching drone strikes on four Pakistani air defence sites, destroying a radar, the Wing Commander added.
Singh said the “possible” purpose of the large-scale Pakistani intrusions were to test the air defence systems and gather intelligence.
“Forensic examination of the drone debris is being undertaken. Preliminary reports suggest them to be Asisguard Songar drone of Turkey,” she said.
“Pakistan escalated with artillery and drone attacks across the Line of Control, causing casualties. Alarmingly, Pakistan kept its civil airspace open during the assault, endangering civilian flights,” she said.
In response to the Pakistani attack, the Indian military launched armed drones at four air defence sites in Pakistan.
“One of the drones was able to destroy an air defence radar,” Singh said.
She said Pakistan also carried out artillery shelling across the Line of Control using heavy calibre artillery guns and armed drones at Kandhan, Uri, Poonch, Mender, Rajouri, Akur and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir area which resulted in some losses and injuries to Indian Army personnel.
“Pakistan Army also suffered major losses in Indian retaliatory firing.
“Additionally, Pakistan’s irresponsible behaviour again came to the fore as Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite it launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on May 7,” said Qureshi.
“Pakistan is using civil airliners as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defence response. This is not safe for the unsuspecting civil airliners, including the international flights which were flying near the international border between India and Pakistan,” she said.
The official also showed screenshots of flight movement on the website flightradar24.
“In the high air defence alert situation in the Punjab sector, the airspace on the Indian side is absolutely devoid of civil air traffic due to our declared closure. However, there are civil airlines flying the air route between Karachi and Lahore,” she said.
The Indian Air Force demonstrated considerable restraint in its response, thus ensuring safety of international flights, she said.
Tensions between India and Pakistan soared significantly following India’s Operation Sindoor early Wednesday and Pakistan’s subsequent unsuccessful attempt to attack 15 Indian cities.
