Pakistan early Saturday claimed that its three air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones. | X @Adv_Ali_Naqvi
Lahore: Pakistan early Saturday claimed that its three air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones.
Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad at around 4 am that Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) air bases of Pakistan Air Force were targeted. “But all assets of the Air Force remain safe,” he added.
India fired air-to-surface missiles with its jets, he claimed.
Minutes later, citing security officials, state-run PTV said that Pakistan has launched a retaliatory operation “Bunyan al-Marsous”, meaning “Iron Wall”. They claimed that the Pakistan military used medium-range Fateh-1 missiles in the attack.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Pakistan is operating on the defensive. “This operation that we started today, it will all end in some way. It all depends on what India wants,” he told Geo News.
Lt Gen Chaudhry claimed that several missiles were intercepted by Pakistan’s air defence system.
Later, government officials claimed that Sheikh Zayed International Airport in Rahman Yar Kham, some 400kms from Lahore, was also targeted. A purported video showed a facility with some damage. They also alleged that a drone attempted to target Nankana Sahib, a claim debunked by India.
India has maintained that it did not target any civilian infrastructure or facilities.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for safeguarding national security through command, control and operational decisions.
The meeting will be attended by top civil and military leadership.
The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) earlier issued a notification, saying that Pakistan’s airspace has been closed from 3.15 am to 12 noon for all kinds of air traffic.
Tensions between the two neighbours soared significantly after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.
Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations in India — from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat — for the second night on Friday, with the defence ministry saying the enemy’s attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted.
On Thursday evening, Indian air defence units intercepted at least eight missiles fired by Pakistan towards the border areas of Jammu, including the strategically important Jammu airport, defence sources had said.
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