Indian forces responded ‘calmly, proportionately, and effectively’ to Pakistan’s provocation
NEW DELHI — Indian defence systems thwarted Pakistani drones, missiles, and loitering munitions used in airstrikes on 26 locations — including health facilities and schools —in the early hours of Saturday (10 May), senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian military said.
In the press briefing, helmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said that Pakistan has been continuously attacking India’s western borders with drones, long-range weapons, and loitering munitions. Among the sites attacked were airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Bathinda, Bhuj, and Adampur. Col Qureshi confirmed that Pakistani forces used high-speed missiles at approximately 1.40 am to strike the Punjab airbase.
akistani claims rejected
The officials firmly rejected Pakistani claims of major damage to its military infrastructure following coordinated cross-border strikes. They described Pakistan’s actions as “provocative” but claimed Indian forces had responded “calmly, proportionately, and effectively.”
Foreign Secretary Misri, flanked by Col Qureshi and Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, presented a detailed assessment of Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory move against Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam attack of April 22.
The ‘Operation Sindoor’ briefing team collectively held Pakistan responsible for the escalation, while stating that India acted in a measured and calibrated manner to destroy terror hubs, but Pakistan was deliberately targeting civilian and military infrastructure on the Indian side.
Pakistan targets health facilities and school
They also informed that certain health facilities and school premises were targeted in the early Saturday escalation by Pakistani forces.
Vikram Misri further called out Pakistan’s lies and propaganda factory and stated that the state machinery was involved in peddling a fake narrative and also urged everyone not to pay heed to it.
As part of its malicious misinformation campaign, Pakistan claimed to have destroyed an Indian S-400 system and airfields in Sirsa and Surat.
Misri characterised Pakistan’s campaign as “a tissue of lies,” accusing Islamabad of manufacturing falsehoods about damage to Indian critical infrastructure, including airbases and air defence systems. “Claims have been made about large sections of Indian critical infrastructure, power systems, cyber systems, etc, being attacked and destroyed. These are completely false,” the foreign secretary said, adding that normalcy had been restored across most of the targeted facilities.
Despite confirming physical damage to military equipment and personnel injuries, Col Qureshi noted that India had managed to intercept many threats. “India neutralised many dangers,” she said, while showing visuals indicating functional status at several bases, including Sirsa and Suratgarh.
She further said Indian forces responded with a mix of kinetic intercepts and radar-guided countermeasures. “They attacked health facilities and schools in Srinagar, Avantipora, and Udhampur. These actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates every accepted convention.”
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh aimed what she described as “a sustained misinformation campaign” by Pakistan. She dismissed allegations that India’s S-400 missile system had been neutralised or that major Indian airbases had been rendered inoperative.
“Pakistan has also attempted to execute a continued malicious misinformation campaign, with claims of destruction of the Indian S-400 system, destruction of airfields at Surat and Sirsa… India unequivocally rejects these false claims being spread by Pakistan,” she said.
The Border Security Force (BSF) reportedly destroyed a Pakistani post and a terrorist launch pad in Looni, District Sialkot, opposite Akhnoor area, from where the tube drones were being launched to attack India.
“On 9 May 2025, from about 2100 hrs, Pakistan initiated unprovoked firing on BSF posts in the Jammu Sector. BSF responded in a commensurate manner, causing widespread damage to the posts and assets of the Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary.
Explosions in Pakistan
Meanwhile, powerful explosions were reported early Saturday across multiple Pakistani air bases, including a critical installation near the capital Islamabad, prompting the Pakistani government to shut down the country’s airspace to all civilian and commercial traffic.
Multiple explosions were also heard in Srinagar on Saturday morning, hours after India repelled Pakistani drone attacks.
Pakistan has claimed that the blasts occurred at three air force installations, including the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, a key site less than 10 kilometres from Islamabad and adjacent to the country’s military headquarters. — With inputs from Agencies
