By Nasir Aijaz
The AsiaN Representative
ISLAMABAD: Amidst reports of contact between the National Security Advisors of two rival countries, India continues drone attacks targeting various locations in Pakistan, including Karachi, the southern port city, capital of Sindh province, and the economic hub of the country.
An Israel-made drone was destroyed in Malir, a suburban area of Karachi, on Thursday. The area, where the destroyed drone fell, caught fire. The videos of fire went viral on electronic and social media, according to which the people heard a big blast.
Separately, a voice message is circulation in Karachi advising the citizens to observe complete blackout at night in view of probable Indian air strike.
By the evening of Thursday May 8, the reports suggested that Pakistan army shot down at least 25 Israel-made Harop drones following a series of provocative attacks by India, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the aftermath of the last month’s attack on tourists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir continue to escalate.
“Pakistan Armed forces have so far shot down 25 Harop drones using both soft-kill (technical) and hard-kill (weapons-based) systems,” said a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of army, on Thursday.
It said that the escalation follows India’s cowardly assault on May 6 and May 7, “which resulted in the destruction of five advanced aircraft, drones, multiple military posts, and reported casualties among Indian troops”.
In a state of panic and confusion, India resorted to deploying Israel-made Harop drones for attacks on Pakistani territory, the ISPR said.
“These unprovoked attacks are a clear reflection of India’s desperation and frustration, as it continues to suffer significant losses along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir,” it added.
Debris of the downed Israeli drones is being recovered from various locations across Pakistan, the military’s media wing added.
“Pakistan Armed Forces are responding with full force, thwarting all hostile designs and delivering a decisive response to the enemy’s aggression,” it concluded.
Separately, the Pakistan armed forces shot down two Indian drones that violated its airspace near Sukkur in Sindh province and Rahim Yar Khan, in South Punjab province.
The media reports, quoting the security sources, said that both drones were detected on radar systems and were promptly locked and neutralized by Pakistan’s air defence units.
“The drones were precisely targeted after confirming their hostile trajectory within Pakistani territory,” said a senior security official.
The officials stated that both drones had crossed into Pakistan in a serious violation of its sovereignty. “These were not routine surveillance drones — they posed a potential threat and were treated as such,” one official added.
India launched strikes on Pakistan and AJK in the wee hours of Wednesday, an assault that Islamabad called a “blatant act of war”.
Islamabad said six Pakistani locations, from mosques to hydropower projects, were targeted. At least 31 civilians, including children, were martyred and 57 sustained injuries after India launched an unprovoked and devious attack at six locations — Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot and Shakkargarh in Punjab and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
In retaliation, the Pakistan armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets, seven drones, destroyed a brigade headquarters and a number of check-posts along the Line of Control (LoC).
‘India will pay dearly’
Speaking at press briefing earlier on Thursday, Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan’s armed forces had neutralized 12 drones sent by India since last night.
He also stated that four army personnel were injured as one drone, besides those downed, managed to engage a military target partially.
The ISPR DG detailed the locations where 12 of those drones sent by India were neutralized — Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur in Punjab, as well as Sukkur’s Miano, Umerkot’s Chhor and near Karachi in Sindh.
“Other than these 12, one drone, however, managed to engage a military target near Lahore partially,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said. “Four men of the Pakistan Army have been injured in this attack near Lahore and partial damage to equipment has occurred,” he added.
Screen shot from a video
Recalling that the Indian army faced “destruction of five of their aircraft and suffering heavy casualties along the Line of Control and damage”, the DG ISPR said India has “apparently lost the plot”.
“Rather than going on a path of rationality, it is further escalating in a highly charged environment to satisfy the hubristic mindset of the Indian government,” he said.
“The international community can visibly see the path that India is treading through this extremely provocative military aggression in a region that is right now highly fragile and putting the security of the region and beyond at risk. “Pakistan armed forces remain fully vigilant to any type of threat,” he added.
He said there should be no doubt that India is paying dearly — and will continue to pay dearly for this naked aggression and reckless military adventurism.
