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.
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Pak Misinformation Campaign
Foreign Secretary 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,” Mr Misri said, adding that normalcy had been restored across most of the targeted facilities.
India admitted that 26 locations were targeted by Pakistani drones, missiles, loitering munitions, and airstrikes in the early hours of Saturday. Among the sites attacked were airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Bathinda, Bhuj, and Adampur. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi confirmed that Pakistani forces used high-speed missiles at approximately 1:40 a.m. to strike the Punjab airbase.
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Despite confirming physical damage to military equipment and personnel injuries, Colonel 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 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.”
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Wing Commander Vyomika Singh took aim at 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.
Blasts In Pakistan
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.
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India also outlined details of its countermeasures under Operation Sindoor. On Saturday morning, precision airstrikes were launched against Pakistani military targets, including command centres, radar installations, and technical infrastructure.
Colonel Qureshi provided details of the targets, which included Pakistani military facilities in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala and Rahim Yar Khan. Radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot aviation bases were also hit. She said that the strikes were precisely aimed and designed to avoid collateral damage.
