Pakistan used 300-400 Turkish drones to target India's military infra, using civil airliners as shield; IAF confirms Pak radar hit in drone strike

New Delhi: In a grave escalation along the western frontier during Operation Sindoor, India on Friday accused Pakistan of keeping its civil airspace open during a drone and missile offensive, endangering international aviation, even as the Indian Air Force confirmed it had destroyed a Pakistani radar installation in a calibrated retaliatory strike.

Raising alarm over the safety of civilian aircraft, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh condemned Pakistan for failing to shut down its civil airspace during military operations.

"Pakistan’s irresponsible behaviour has once again come to the fore. Despite launching an unprovoked drone and missile attack at 8:30 PM on May 7, it did not close its civilian air corridors,” Wg Cdr Singh told reporters at a press briefing.

She said the move endangered “unsuspecting civil aircraft,” particularly international flights operating near the India–Pakistan border.

“We have real-time data from the FlightRadar24 application which shows Indian civil airspace was immediately cleared. However, Pakistani airspace remained open, especially along the Karachi–Lahore corridor,” she noted.

One such aircraft, a Flynas Airbus A320, was tracked flying from Daman to Lahore between 17:50 and 21:10 hours amid the heightened security situation. "The pattern is clear—Pakistan is attempting to use civilian airliners as a shield, fully aware that any Indian air defence response could inadvertently endanger passenger aircraft. Despite provocation, the Indian Air Force exercised restraint to protect civilian lives," Wg Cdr Singh said.

Detailing Pakistan’s actions, she revealed that a Pakistani armed UAV attempted a strike on the Bathinda military station late that night, but was “successfully detected and neutralised” by Indian defence systems.

"In a calibrated response, the Indian Air Force deployed armed drones which targeted four Pakistani air defence sites. One drone strike destroyed an enemy radar installation," she confirmed.

Wg Cdr Singh added that Pakistan simultaneously engaged in intense artillery shelling across the Line of Control (LoC), using heavy-calibre guns and armed drones in sectors including Sandar, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, Rajouri, Akhnoor, and Udhampur. “There were casualties and injuries to Indian Army personnel. However, Pakistani forces also suffered significant losses in retaliatory fire,” she stated.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, addressing the media, said that on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, Pakistan violated Indian airspace “multiple times” along the entire western border, targeting Indian military infrastructure.

“Additionally, the Pakistani Army opened heavy-calibre fire along the LoC,” she said.

Col Qureshi disclosed that between 300 and 400 Turkish drones were launched from across the border in a coordinated attempt to infiltrate Indian airspace at 36 different locations. “The Indian armed forces responded with both kinetic and non-kinetic measures, shooting down many of these UAVs,” she said.

Forensic analysis of the downed drones is underway.