'Indian drones triggered panic in Pakistan, we need defence systems like India': Another admission from Islamabad

India's deep-strike capability and drone warfare strategy during Operation Sindoor has rattled strategic circles in Pakistan, with a senior commentator warning that the country urgently needs India-like defence systems to prepare for a new era of warfare. The statement comes in the wake of Pakistan’s inability to prevent Indian drone incursions and missile strikes that destroyed key military infrastructure.

Dr. Qamar Cheema, a Pakistani commentator and strategic analyst, admitted that Indian aerial superiority has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Pakistan's defence architecture. "Pakistan needs a model like the S-400. If we don't have it, then Indian Air Force personnel will keep mocking us the way they did—saying, 'It’s a Pakistani defence system, don’t worry, we know how it works. Pakistani defence systems will not function',” he said.

Cheema added that Indian drones penetrating Pakistani airspace during the recent conflict caused visible confusion. "The fact that Indian drones entered Pakistani territory was very, very odd. We couldn't understand it. A sense of panic spread," he noted, stressing that Islamabad must urgently invest in its own air defence and drone warfare infrastructure.

"Pakistan will have to carry out (drone) kills...India has used both soft and hard kill methods. Pakistan needs a strong defence system like India's. We must invest, because war is coming. This is a war of technology, a war of drones, a war of air forces, a war of electronic warfare — that's where we need to focus. We must build indigenous capability. Get ready before it's too late," Cheema warned.

Cheema's comments came dut days after Pakistan's own military admission of damage during India's retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor. Retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar recently acknowledged the loss of a key Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft at Bholari airbase after it was hit by a BrahMos missile. "The Pakistani pilots rushed to secure their aircraft, but the missiles kept on coming, and unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar… It was damaged," he said.

India's retaliatory strikes after the Pahalgam terror attack were precise and swift, targeting key Pakistani military installations including radar systems, command centres, and ammunition depots across Lahore, Chaklala, Sialkot, Bholari, and Rahim Yar Khan. The Indian Air Force bypassed and jammed Pakistan's Chinese-supplied air defence systems and completed the mission in just 23 minutes, without losing a single asset. IAF also destroyed Pakistan's two Chinese-provided systems, one in Lahore and another in Chaklala.  

In addition to battle-proven air defence systems like the Pechora and OSA-AK, India deployed its indigenous Akash system during the operation. Akash, a short-range surface-to-air missile system with electronic counter-counter measures, successfully neutralised targets and reaffirmed India’s technological edge in modern battlefield scenarios.