RAWALPINDI, May 07 (APP): At least 26 Pakistani civilians were martyred and 46 sustained injuries after Indian forces fired missiles at six different locations during the night between May 6 and 7, said Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, the DG ISPR said Indian troops also launched cowardly attacks across the Line of Control (LoC), deliberately targeting civilian populations and places of worships.
“The attacks took place under the cover of darkness and focused mainly on mosques and residential areas, showing the extremist mindset of the Modi-led government,” he said.
He said that heavy Indian shelling along the LoC also claimed five more lives, including a five-year-old child.The Pakistan Armed Forces responded swiftly and effectively, giving a “befitting reply” to the Indian aggression.
“The targeted areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir had recently been visited by international media, which had already exposed the baseless Indian propaganda and claims. Striking these same sites seems like a desperate attempt to justify their false narrative through violence.”
Stating that the Pakistan Army responded fully to the Indian aggression and destroyed “several” Indian checkposts and showed footage of a brigade headquarters from where he said India was violating the LoC ceasefire.
Other check-posts hit included Chhatri, Jura and Sarlia-1, as well as a unit battalion headquarters.
The DG ISPR confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down five Indian fighter jets and one drone in response to the attempted airstrike. The downed aircraft included three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, a Su-30, and an Israeli-made Heron drone.
The PAF, he said, could have shot down more than 10 aircraft but chose to show maturity and strategic restraint. “Not a single Pakistani aircraft crossed into Indian airspace, and none of the Indian jets were allowed to enter ours.”
He also confirmed that all PAF assets, including fighter jets and installations, are fully safe and operational.
The DG ISPR said that Pakistan’s response was purely defensive and triggered only after Indian aircraft attempted to violate its airspace.
The national and international media were already scheduled to visit Muridke and Bahawalpur—areas he informed and said India had falsely accused of harboring terror infrastructure—further disproving its claims.
DG ISPR said India had also targeted the Noseri Dam near the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, causing damage to critical infrastructure and endangering thousands of civilians. “Targeting water reservoirs is not only illegal under international laws but also poses a humanitarian risk.”
He said that at the time of India’s cowardly assault, several national and international flights were operating within Pakistan’s airspace, placing thousands of civilian passengers at severe risk. Such acts, the DG ISPR said, show the extremist and irrational mindset behind Indian military planning under the current leadership, with no regard for human life, international laws, or aviation safety.
“At that time, there were 57 international flights operating inside Pakistan’s airspace,” he stated, adding that the consequences of any of those being hit “perhaps did not cross the minds of those who were undertaking this senseless aggression”.
Pakistan, he stressed, reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and warned that any aggression will be met with a decisive response. Calling on the international community, especially global aviation and water rights organizations, he urged immediate notice of India’s provocations, which pose a serious threat to regional peace and civilian safety.