Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday confirmed that the armed forces had shot down 12 Indian drones in various parts of the country overnight.
Addressing a press conference, he said drones were neutralized in Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Miano, Chor and near Karachi. Sharing pictures of the down drones, he said the Harop drones were armed. Describing the incident as “yet another blatant military act of aggression” against Pakistan, he stressed that the international community must recognize the escalatory actions being taken by India.
Earlier, Reuters had reported that residents of parts of Lahore heard a “buzzing sound” followed by an explosion around 7 a.m.
According to the military spokesman, four Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in Lahore as a result of the drone attack, while one civilian died in Miano, Sindh. He said Pakistan’s armed forces remained fully alert, reiterating that India was targeting mosques and civilians during the ongoing hostilities.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry described India’s ongoing deployment of Harop drones as a “serious provocation.” He stressed that the “naked aggression” was ongoing and the armed forces were on high degree of alert and neutralizing all threats as they arose.
A day earlier, the military spokesman had updated casualties from Indian attacks on cities of Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. He said the number of civilians martyred had risen to 31, while 57 others were injured, adding the major reason for the increase was India’s ongoing unprovoked firing on the Line of Control (LoC).
“Our enemy is so cowardly that instead of confronting our military forces head-on, it attacks unarmed civilians and populated areas in the darkness,” he had said, adding such acts underscore India’s desperation and shift from supporting proxies to direct acts of aggression. He had also reiterated that India had targeted the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project in violation of international norms.