New Delhi: Chaos unfolded across Pakistan in the early hours of the morning after a series of strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force targeted neighbour’s Air Force bases in Sargodha, Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Shorkot in Punjab and Chakwal in Punjab.
The strikes were in response to a high-level cross-border provocation, which has been continuing since India launched precision strikes at terrorists’ infrastructure in Pakistan following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir.
The aerial assault sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s defense infrastructure. An Air Emergency was declared nationwide within hours. The Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority suspended all domestic and international flights early this morning, citing “security reasons”. As of 04:00 AM local time, airspace over major urban centres, including Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, remains restricted, based on the Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) issued by the government.
Petrol stations across Islamabad and Rawalpindi were ordered shut by local authorities, fuelling speculation of a broader internal security alert. Long queues were seen late into the night as panic buying spread, only to be met by shuttered pumps and heavily deployed police units. City authorities cited “safety protocols” and “emergency preparedness” as reasons for the closures, although no official statement was issued by the Ministry of Interior.
Eyewitnesses in Islamabad described the atmosphere as “tense and uncertain”. Visuals of blacked-out streets began circulating, with military convoys on the move and sirens blaring night.
The Pakistani government has so far issued no official casualty figures, and state-run media remains tight-lipped. There are report of high-value assets being relocated from airbases, while Pakistani air defense systems were observed firing into the night sky hours after the reported strikes.
The Ministry of Defence, in an official statement today, said it has carried out “limited and targeted operation” in Pakistan, ensuring “minimum collateral damage”.
“Pakistani army is continuously attacking the western borders; it has used drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and fighter jets to attack India’s military sites… India neutralised many dangers, but Pakistan tried to infiltrate via air at more than 26 places and damaged our equipment and personnel at Air Force bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot and Bathinda. They used high-speed missiles at 1:40 am to target Punjab’s air base. They even attacked health facilities and schools,” Colonel Sofiya Qureshi told the media while a joint media briefing with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told the media addressing the same press conference, “In a swift and calibrated response, Indian armed forces carried out a precision strike only at identified military targets… Pakistan has also attempted to execute a continued malicious misinformation campaign, with claims of destruction of the Indian S-400 system, destruction of airfields at Surat and Sirsa… India unequivocally rejects these false claims being spread by Pakistan.”
Misri said, “I have said on numerous earlier occasions, it is Pakistani actions that have constituted provocations and escalations. In response, India has defended and reacted in a responsible and measured fashion to these provocations and escalations by the Pakistani side. Earlier this morning, we saw a repeat of this escalatory and provocative pattern.”
He further said, “I have said on numerous earlier occasions, it is Pakistani actions that have constituted provocations and escalations. In response, India has defended and reacted in a responsible and measured fashion to these provocations and escalations by the Pakistani side. Earlier this morning, we saw a repeat of this escalatory and provocative pattern.”
As tensions skyrocket across the subcontinent, international observers have called for restraint.
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