ISLAMABAD, Thursday, May 08, 2025 : Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday accused India of deliberately targeting Amritsar with projectiles in a calculated attempt to incite anti-Pakistan sentiments among the Sikh community and deflect attention from internal unrest.<\/p>\n
Addressing a joint press conference alongside Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Dar stated that in the early hours of May 8, India launched four projectiles\u2014believed to be missiles\u2014with hostile intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a deeply sinister act, three of these projectiles landed in Amritsar, while the fourth entered Pakistani airspace and was successfully intercepted by Pakistan\u2019s air defence system. Its debris fell in the Denga area of Pakistan,\u201d Dar said.<\/p>\n
He alleged that the Indian government orchestrated the attack as part of a broader disinformation campaign to falsely implicate Pakistan in civilian targeting and stir hostility within India\u2019s Punjabi Sikh population.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan categorically denies any involvement in targeting civilians in Indian Punjab,\u201d Dar said. \u201cUnlike India\u2019s divisive tactics, Pakistan remains committed to peace, stability, and the protection of innocent lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further revealed that in addition to missile fire, several armed Indian drones violated Pakistani airspace at multiple points along the international border. These drones, he said, attacked civilian areas\u2014killing one and injuring four\u2014and attempted strikes on military installations, wounding four Pakistan Army personnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the drones also targeted the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches are underway. The attempt, aimed at endangering both domestic and international players, was foiled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dar emphasized that despite repeated provocations, Pakistan had exercised strategic restraint, confining its response to self-defence in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, Pakistan reserves the right to respond at a time, place, and manner of its choosing,\u201d he warned, urging the public to remain calm as the armed forces stood fully vigilant.<\/p>\n
The Deputy PM also claimed that India\u2019s aggression followed the downing of five Indian fighter jets by Pakistan a day earlier\u2014an event he said had embarrassed the Indian military establishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia has concocted a false narrative of drone retaliation in response to an alleged Pakistani attack\u2014an outright lie meant to cover its losses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
DG ISPR: 12 Indian drones neutralised, one civilian martyred<\/p>\n
Echoing the Foreign Minister\u2019s statements, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that Pakistan\u2019s armed forces had neutralised 12 Indian Harop drones between the night of May 7 and 8, which were launched across multiple Pakistani locations in a “clear act of military aggression.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThese drones targeted areas including Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Miano, Chor, and near Karachi,\u201d he said, presenting debris from the intercepted drones as evidence.<\/p>\n
He added that a 13th drone managed to inflict minor damage to a military installation near Lahore, injuring four army personnel. In another strike on Miano, Sindh, one civilian was martyred and another injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Indian military’s continued naked aggression has failed to achieve its objectives, and our forces remain at the highest level of operational alert,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Lt Gen Chaudhry accused India of attempting to provoke a full-scale conflict to distract from its losses along the Line of Control (LoC), where he said five Indian aircraft and several military posts were destroyed in retaliatory strikes by Pakistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia appears to have lost strategic direction and is now escalating tensions to satisfy the hubristic ambitions of its leadership,\u201d he said. \u201cSuch adventurism risks destabilizing not only the region but also broader international peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warned that India was \u201cpaying dearly\u2014and will continue to pay\u2014for this reckless military escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n
25 Indian drones shot down, FO rejects Indian claims<\/p>\n
According to an ISPR statement, Pakistan has shot down 25 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones to date using both electronic and kinetic countermeasures. The drones, the statement said, are part of India\u2019s desperate attempts to retaliate following heavy losses on May 6 and 7.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office categorically rejected Indian media reports accusing Pakistan of attacks on Pathankot, Jaisalmer, and Srinagar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese allegations are politically motivated and form part of a reckless propaganda campaign designed to justify Indian aggression,\u201d said a Foreign Office spokesperson. \u201cSuch actions not only endanger regional peace but also reveal a dangerous willingness to manipulate facts for political gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson called on the international community to take serious note of India\u2019s escalating behaviour and to urge restraint.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan remains vigilant and committed to peace but will not hesitate to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Thursday, May 08, 2025 : Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday accused India of deliberately targeting Amritsar with projectiles in a calculated attempt to incite anti-Pakistan sentiments among the Sikh community and deflect attention from internal unrest. Addressing a joint press conference alongside Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[44,45],"class_list":["post-4670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national","tag-latest","tag-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}