Pakistan accuses India of targeting airbases with missiles, vows retaliation
Lahore: Pakistan early on Saturday alleged that three of its airbases had been targeted by Indian missiles and drones.
Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, speaking at an urgent press conference held in Islamabad at around 4 a.m., named the affected bases as Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal), and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) of the Pakistan Air Force.
"But all assets of the Air Force remain safe," he claimed.
He further stated that air-to-surface missiles had been launched by Indian jets. According to him, several of these missiles were intercepted by Pakistan’s air defence systems.
Describing the alleged attacks, he said, “this is a ‘sinister act of India pushing the region into lethal war and Pakistan will respond to this aggression. India should wait for our response’.”
The press briefing ended abruptly, with Chaudhry taking no questions from the media.
Shortly afterwards, state-run PTV, citing security officials, reported that Pakistan had launched a counter-attack.
In the wake of the incident, the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) issued a notification announcing the closure of Pakistan’s airspace to all types of air traffic from 3:15 a.m. to 12 noon. The PAA stated that further updates would be shared at noon.
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have escalated after the Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes on Wednesday, targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in response to the 22 April Pahalgam attack, which Indian officials have linked to cross-border elements.
Pakistan responded with a new wave of drone attacks late on Friday, striking 26 locations across India — from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. India’s Ministry of Defence said the country’s air defence forces successfully repelled these attempts to hit vital infrastructure, including airports and airbases.
On Thursday evening, defence sources reported that Indian air defence units had intercepted at least eight missiles launched by Pakistan towards the border regions of Jammu, including the strategically located Jammu airport.