300 to 400 Turkish drones with civilian planes as cover to hit 36 sites, some of them religious centres. This was how Pakistan violated Indian airspace on the night of 8–9 May, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Armed Forces said in a briefing on Friday.
Army spokesperson Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said, "Around 300 to 400 drones were used (by Pakistan) to attempt infiltration at 36 locations... Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones."
"The Indian forces shot down the Pakistani drones. The drones and its debris are being analysed," she added.
Officials said one Pakistani armed unmanned aerial vehicle had been sent to target Bathinda military station and that the attempt was foiled.
They added that Indian armed forces had shot down the Pakistani drones using both kinetic and non-kinetic means.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that places of worship had also been targeted, terming it a "new low" for Islamabad.
"Pakistani side targeted places of worship with a particular design... it is a new low even for Pakistan," he said.
The Foreign Secretary added that Pakistani cross-border firing had hit a Christian missionary school in Poonch, killing two children.
"We do have some information about this extremely regrettable and condemnable incident. During heavy shelling across the Line of Control in the early morning of 7th May, a shell fired from Pakistan landed just behind the Christ School run by the Kamalites of the Mary Immaculate Congregation in Poonch. Tragically, the shell fired from Pakistan hit the home of two students of the Christ School," Misri said.
Misri also criticised Pakistan for not closing its airspace and accused Islamabad of using civilian air traffic as a shield.
"Pakistan did not close its airspace and used civilian air traffic as a shield. Pakistani airlines were seen flying over Karachi and Lahore. There were heavy losses to the Pakistani army as India retaliated," he said.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said the non-closure of Pakistan’s airspace posed a danger to unsuspecting civilian airliners, including international flights flying near the international border between India and Pakistan.
"The screenshot we showed displays the data from the Flight Radar 24 application during a high air defence alert situation in the Punjab sector. As you can see, the airspace on the Indian side is completely devoid of civil air traffic due to our declared closure. However, civil airlines continue to fly the route between Karachi and Lahore," she added.
She also said the Indian Air Force had demonstrated considerable restraint in its response, ensuring the safety of international civil carriers.
Notably, India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan’s fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles - including in Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot, among other border areas - after foiling similar bids at 15 locations in the northern and western regions of the country, as tensions soared between the two nations amid fears of a wider conflict.
