New Delhi [India]: Wing Commander Vyomika Singh on Friday exposed Pakistan’s airspace manipulation tactics, stating that Islamabad deliberately kept its civil airspace open during its failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on May 7, effectively using civilian airliners as shields.
At a special briefing on Operation Sindoor, Wing Commander Singh said:
“Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite it launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7 May at 08:30 hours in the evening. Pakistan is using civil airliner as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defence response.”
She underlined the risk posed to international flights flying near the India-Pakistan border:
“This is not safe for the unsuspecting civil airliners including the international flights which were flying near IB between India and Pakistan.”
Using FlightRadar24 data, Singh demonstrated how India had cleared its own skies for safety, while Pakistan allowed flights to continue, including the Karachi-Lahore route:
“As you have seen, the airspace on the Indian side is absolutely devoid of civil air traffic due to our declared closure. However, there are civil airlines flying the air route between Karachi and Lahore…Indian Air force demonstrated considerable restraint in its response thus ensuring safety of international civil carriers.”
Wing Commander Singh also confirmed that India launched armed drones at four Pakistani air defence sites in response, destroying a radar system on Thursday:
“Pakistan also carried out artillery shelling across the line of control using heavy-calibre artillery guns and armed drones… which resulted in some losses and injuries to Indian army personnel. Pakistan army also suffered major losses in Indian retaliatory fire.”
Adding to the briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that the Pakistani Army had violated Indian airspace multiple times on the night of May 7-8, using 300 to 400 drones to target Indian military installations.
“On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani army violated Indian airspace several times over the entire western border to target military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani army also fired heavy-calibre weapons along the Line of Control. Around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations.”
She explained that many of the drones were intercepted and downed:
“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…”
Further escalating tensions, Pakistan launched Hamas-style missile attacks on Jammu, using low-cost rockets in a tactic reminiscent of operations seen in Israel.
According to defence sources, this attack came in response to India’s Operation Sindoor, carried out on May 8, in which nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were neutralised by Indian forces. The operation was a direct reply to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Earlier on Thursday, the Indian Army shot down more than 50 Pakistani drones in a massive counter-drone operation along the LoC and International Borders. Indian forces also neutralised an air defence system near Lahore, following Pakistan’s attempted drone and missile strike across Northern and Western India.