Samba (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly condemned Pakistan’s attempted drone attacks on civilian areas in Jammu, warning that continued aggression from Islamabad would lead to “severe consequences.”
Speaking from Samba, Abdullah stated that the drone attack attempt on Jammu was unprecedented since the 1971 war, particularly because it targeted civilians. He credited the Indian Armed Forces for their swift and effective response, highlighting that all drones were successfully intercepted, including one allegedly aimed at an ammunition depot in Anantnag district.
“Pakistan tried to attack civilians with drones. I don’t recall such an incident since the 1971 war. Thankfully, all drones were shot down by our forces,” said Abdullah.
The Chief Minister linked India’s recent military actions—Operation Sindoor, in which nine terrorist infrastructures were hit in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
“We didn’t initiate the conflict. Innocent people died in Pahalgam. We had to respond,” Abdullah stated.
He criticized Pakistan’s alleged escalation strategy, likening Thursday’s attack on Jammu to Hamas-style rocket tactics, involving cheap, multiple missile launches similar to those used in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
“What happened last night was an attempt to escalate. But they will suffer the most. They should de-escalate, not escalate,” he warned.
Defence sources reported that India neutralised over 50 Pakistani drones and thwarted a large-scale drone and missile offensive targeting multiple military installations across Northern and Western India on the night of May 7-8. In a preemptive move, India also disabled an air defence system in Lahore, sources told ANI.