New Delhi:
India has firmly rejected Pakistani claims of major damage to its military infrastructure following coordinated cross-border strikes launched overnight. In a special press briefing convened Saturday morning, senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Army, and Indian Air Force jointly addressed the media on the hostilities along the western front, describing Pakistan’s actions as “provocative” but claiming Indian forces had responded “calmly, proportionately, and effectively.”
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, flanked by Army Colonel Sofiya 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 in which 26 people died.
Foreign Secretary Misri characterised Pakistan’s information 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,” Mr Misri said, adding that normalcy had been restored across most of the targeted facilities.
According to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the Pakistani military began an offensive late Friday night, deploying a combination of high-speed missiles, drones, loitering munitions, and fixed-wing fighter aircraft. “At approximately 1:40 am, high-speed missiles were launched towards a critical Indian Air Force base in Punjab,” Col Qureshi said, adding that attacks were also carried out on air force stations in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot, and Bathinda.
Col Qureshi said India’s air defence systems intercepted several projectiles, but admitted that some installations sustained limited damage. India neutralised many dangers, but Pakistan tried to infiltrate via Air at more than 26 places, and they damaged our equipment and personnel at air force bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot, Bathinda, she admitted.
She further noted that the Pakistani Army had attempted to infiltrate Indian airspace at more than 26 locations overnight.
“These included attempted drone incursions and sightings of armed UAVs in Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Jammu, Pathankot, Bhuj, and Jaisalmer,” she 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,” she added.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the IAF described India’s response as “swift and calibrated,” clarifying that counter-strikes were limited to verified military targets within Pakistan.
Wing Commander Singh accused the Pakistani military of concurrently launching a misinformation campaign.
“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.
