Pakistan used civil airliner as shield during failed drone attack: MEA

Despite knowing that any attack on India would trigger a swift air defence response, Pakistan kept its civil airspace open and used civilian airliners as a shield. “Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite launching a failed, unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7 May at 8:30 pm,” Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said at a press briefing on Friday.

“It knowingly used a civil airliner as a shield, fully aware that its actions could endanger unsuspecting passenger aircraft, including international flights flying near the India-Pakistan border.”

The conflict between India and Pakistan witnessed a significant escalation on the night of May 8-9. As per the latest press release from the Indian government, Pakistan attempted to target military sites in 15 cities including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj.

Fortunately, the Indian Army was able to prevent these attacks. The tensions between the two neighboring nations intensified following India's Operation Sindoor strikes on nine terrorist facilities in Pakistan in response to a terrorist incident in J&K's Pahalgam. 

During the MEA briefing: Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said: "On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani army violated Indian airspace several times over the entire western border with the intention of targeting military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani army also fired heavy caliber weapons along the Line of Control. 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 collect intelligence. Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones..."