Pakistan used 300 to 400 Turkish Asisguard Songar drones to attack India, Indian armed drone destroyed Pakistani radar: Details of press briefing on Operation Sindoor

As India continues to hit terror camps in Pakistan while also neutralising Pakistani missiles and drones targeted at India, the Ministry of External Affairs held a special press briefing on Friday evening. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofia Qureshi, described last night’s events in the briefing.

Vyomika Singh said that on the intervening night of 8 and 9 May, the Pakistan military carried out multiple violations of Indian airspace along the entire western border with an intent to target military infrastructure. Pakistan military also resorted to firing heavy-calibre weapons along the line of control.

Drone intrusions were attempted from Leh to Sir Creek along the international border and LoC, the Wing Commander said. She added that around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations. The Indian armed forces shot down many of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means. The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and gather intelligence.

Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones. Later in the night, an armed UAV of Pakistan attempted to target Bathinda military station, which was detected and neutralised.

In response to the Pakistani attack, armed drones were launched at 4 air defence sites in Pakistan. One of the drones was able to destroy an air defence radar, Singh said.

Pakistan also carried out artillery shelling across the LoC using heavy-calibre artillery guns and armed drones at several places in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in some losses and injuries to Indian Army personnel. Pakistan’s army also suffered major losses in India’s retaliatory firing.

Calling out Pakistan’s irresponsibility, the Wing Commander said that despite launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7^th May evening, it didn’t shut down its civilian airspace. She said that Pakistan is using civil airliners as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India will result would elicit a swift defence response. This is not safe for unsuspecting civil airliners including international flights that were flying near the international border.

The Indian government shared screenshots of flight tracking site Flightradar24, showing civilian aircraft flying between Karachi and Lahore when Pakistan was sending drones and missiles to India. Vyomika Singh said that IAF demonstrated considerable restraint in its response, ensuring the safety of the international civil airliner.

After the briefing by Colonel Sofia Qureshi in Hindi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh in English, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the media, saying that Pakistan targeted civilian and military establishments, and Indian armed forces responded proportionately, adequately and responsibly.

Misri highlighted the official and blatantly farcical denial of the attacks by the Pakistan government, saying it is yet another example of their duplicity, and the new depths they are plumbing in their quest for disinformation. Referring to Pakistan’s claims that Indian armed forces were attacking religious sites in India, Misri called them preposterous and outrageous.

He said that Pakistan will not succeed in its attempts to mislead the world. He said that the Gurudwara in Poonch was attacked by Pakistan, in which some lives were lost. The foreign secretary said that the notion that India will attack its own cities is a deranged fantasy that only the Pakistani state can come up with. “Perhaps they do it, as they are well versed in it, as history shows,” he added.

He said that Pakistan’s claim that India targeted the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara is a blatant lie and a part of Pakistan’s disinformation campaign. Misri said that Pakistan is trying to impart a communal hue to the situation with the intention of creating discord. He said, “Another point in the same context is Pakistan’s claims that they did not target or attack any religious places. You would recall that yesterday I shared an incident related to the attack on a Gurdwara in Poonch. 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 were targeting cities like Amritsar.”

He added, “This is nothing but a desperate attempt by Pakistan to disown its acts of aggression, and it is consistent with their pattern of deceiving and misleading the world. It will not succeed. The Gurdwara in Poonch, in particular, was attacked by Pakistan, and some local members of the Sikh community, including a Ragi of the Gurdwara, lost their lives in this incident.”

In response to a question, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri further said that in view of the existing security scenario, the services of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor have been suspended till further directions. He informed the press that an artillery shell fired by Pakistan hit a house near a Christian missionary school in Poonch, in which two students of the Christ school died and several others were injured. Similarly, another Pakistani struck a nearby Christian convent of nuns, damaging infrastructure while people in the institution took shelter in an underground hall of the Christ school, which was closed at that time.

Talking about India’s appeal to IMF to stop the bailout package extended to Pakistan, Misri said, “IMF meeting is going on today, we will present our side in the meeting. Our perspective on these things will be shared with the fellow members. It is on the board to decide further.” He added that India has responsibly and adequately responded to the activities carried out by Pakistan early today morning.

Talking about India eliminating the terrorist responsible for the beheading of Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl, Misri said, “Jaish-e-Mohammed was in some way directly or indirectly responsible for the death of Daniel Pearl. 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 one who lured Daniel Pearl to his eventual murder. So, these are all obviously connected figures, connected individuals, connected institutions. The attack on Bahawalpur, on that facility of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur, is, I would imagine, a fitting part of this unfortunate incident.”

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