Thunderous response: India repels Pakistan's attack in Jammu, shoots down three warplanes including F-16

NEW DELHI: Despite suffering heavy setbacks, including the destruction of its air defence, Pakistan continued to provoke India by launching an airstrike in Jammu on Thursday night. Pakistan is now facing a significant retaliation, including heavy blows to its capital, Islamabad. The situation is moving towards open war, with attacks from the army, air force, and navy continuing late into the night.

A bomb explosion occurred about 20 kilometres from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s residence. Following this, Sharif was moved from his official residence to a secret location. Pakistani ministers and military officials have also been moved to a secret location.

India shot down three Pakistani fighter jets, over fifty drones, and eight missiles that had crossed the border. The F-16 and JF-17 fighter jets were destroyed and two Pakistani pilots were captured. The capture took place in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, and Akhnoor, Jammu.

By 9:00 PM, fighter jets from Jammu took off to target Pakistani objectives. Airstrikes were carried out in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Sialkot. The naval forces successfully destroyed the Karachi port. Missiles were launched from INS Vikrant.

Around 8:00 PM yesterday, Pakistani drones and eight missiles targeted locations, including the closed Jammu airport. As a precaution, lights were turned off in Jammu and border regions like Bikaner in Rajasthan and Jalandhar in Punjab to cause a blackout. In areas like Samba, Akhnoor, and Pathankot in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab, India responded with a strong counterattack to Pakistani shelling. As soon as a drone attack was detected, sirens were sounded in Jammu, alerting the public.

Pakistan's first major attack on India occurred early yesterday. It sent missiles and drones to 15 cities in Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan. However, they were intercepted and destroyed by Russia-made S-400 missile defence systems before they reached Indian territory. The remains of the Pakistani missiles and drones are being collected by the Indian military.

Pakistan's aim was to destroy Indian centres in Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Firozpur, and Bhuj.

Pakistan shaken

India's response was a severe blow. The attacks from drones like Harpy, Harop, and Nagastra-1 shook Lahore. Pakistan’s air defence system, supplied by China, was destroyed. The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was also reported to have been destroyed in the attacks.

There were claims that Pakistani forces had shot down Indian drones. However, it was later found that what was destroyed were the remnants of a Nagastra suicide drone, which self-destructs upon explosion.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, in a press conference, stated that Pakistan’s attempts to escalate conflict by targeting military centres in the northern and western parts of the country had been foiled. It was confirmed that 100 militants were killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7.

16 civilians killed

• 16 innocent civilians, including three women and five children, lost their lives in an attack using mortars and rockets by Pakistan along the Jammu-Kashmir border. India has responded with counterattacks.
• India's recent response to the Pahalgam attack was clear. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that if Pakistan continues to provoke, it will face severe consequences.
• Operation Sindoor was aimed precisely at terrorist centres, and Pakistan’s explanations of it do not align with the facts. In Poonch, Pakistan destroyed religious sites, including a Gurdwara.