India-Pakistan Conflict: Pakistan Used Civil Airlines as Shield
India-Pakistan Conflict: Indian Government Details Pakistan's Drone Assault on Civilian and Military Infrastructure
On May 9, 2025, the Indian government held a press conference to address a series of aggressive actions by Pakistan along the western border and the Line of Control (LoC), further straining India-Pakistan relations. The press conference outlined Pakistan's violations of Indian airspace, drone intrusions, and artillery shelling, which targeted both military and civilian infrastructure, including a Gurudwara in Poonch. The Indian armed forces responded proportionately, while Pakistan's failure to close its civil airspace during the attacks raised serious safety concerns for international flights.
Col Sofiya Qureshi revealed that in the intervening night of May 8 and May 9, "Pakistan military carried out multiple violations of Indian airspace along the western border with an intent to target military infrastructure." She noted that Pakistan also resorted to "firing of heavy caliber weapons along the Line of Control" and attempted drone intrusions at 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek, involving approximately 300 to 400 drones. The Indian armed forces neutralised many of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means, with preliminary forensic examination suggesting the drones were of Turkish origin.
India-Pakistan Conflict: India launched retaliatory strikes at 4 air defense sites in Pakistan
Col Qureshi further stated that "the possible purpose of these large-scale aerial intrusions was to test the Air Defence systems and gather intelligence." Later, an armed UAV from Pakistan targeted Bathinda military station but was detected and neutralised. In retaliation, India launched armed drones at four air defense sites in Pakistan, one of which destroyed an AD radar.
Col Qureshi also highlighted Pakistan's artillery shelling across the LoC, stating, "Pakistan also carried out artillery shelling across the LoC using heavy caliber artillery guns and armed drones at Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, Rajouri, Akhnoor, and Udhampur in the Jammu and Kashmir area, which resulted in some losses and injuries to Indian army personnel." She confirmed that the Pakistan army suffered major losses due to India's retaliatory fire. Additionally, she criticised Pakistan's reckless behavior, noting that "Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7 May at 8:30 evening," using civil airliners as a shield during India-Pakistan hostilities. She pointed out that while Indian airspace was devoid of civil air traffic due to a declared closure, "there were civil airlines flying in the air route between Karachi and Lahore," endangering unsuspecting passengers.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh elaborated on the specifics of the military response and the broader implications of Pakistan's actions. She highlighted the Indian armed forces' effective countermeasures and reiterated the intelligence-gathering intent behind Pakistan's actions.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri condemning Pakistan's actions as "provocative and escalatory" stated, "These provocative and escalatory actions that were taken by Pakistan last night were targeted at Indian cities and civilian infrastructure in addition to some military targets." Misri affirmed that "the Indian armed forces responded proportionately, adequately, and responsibly," but criticised Pakistan's denial of the attacks as "blatantly farcical," calling it "yet another example of their duplicity and the new depth they are plunging in their quest for disinformation."
He specifically debunked Pakistan's claims of not targeting religious sites, asserting, "They attacked a Gurudwara in Poonch," where "local members of the Sikh community lost their lives in this incident." Misri also dismissed Pakistan's allegations that India targeted cities like Amritsar, calling it "a desperate attempt by Pakistan to disown its acts of aggression" amid worsening India-Pakistan tensions.
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