DEMOLITION CONTINUES: Indian military destroys air defence system in Lahore; foils Pak attempts to target 15 places in country

PTI, NEW DELHI, MAY 8, 2025 : India on Thursday said it foiled Pakistan military's attempts to attack 15 places in Northern and Western India using missiles and drones, and destroyed a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore as tensions between the two sides mounted amid fears of a wider conflict. The Defence Ministry said the Pakistani military attempted last night to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj. These attempts were neutralised by the Integrated Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (Grid and Air Defence systems), it said.

The Pakistani attempt came after Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. The Defence Ministry said India called its anti-terror response as "focused, measured, and non-escalatory" and that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. "It was also reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response," it said.

"Today morning, Indian armed forces targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan," the ministry said in a readout. "It has been reliably learnt that an air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised," it said.

The ministry said Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using mortars and heavy-calibre artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. "Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing," the ministry said. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring mortar and artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt, it said.

"Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military," the ministry said.

In retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on the terror targets, including Bahawalpur, a stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday that India decided to carry out the "proportionate" strikes to bring the perpetrators and planners of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack to justice, as there was "no demonstrable step" from Pakistan to act against terrorist infrastructure on territories under its control.