Pakistan’s attempt to use drones and missiles to target Indian military installations in 15 towns and cities on Wednesday night was neutralised by Indian forces, stated India’s Ministry of Defence on Thursday.

The locations that were targeted were Awantipora, Jammu and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur and Bathinda in Punjab, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi and Uttarlai in Rajasthan, and Bhuj in Gujarat.

The drones and missiles were destroyed by unmanned aircraft systems and defence systems, and their debris was being collected, said the ministry.

This came after the Indian military on Wednesday carried out strikes on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Nine sites were targeted under Operation Sindoor.

The Pakistan Army retaliated by shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Sixteen persons were killed in the firing, according to the Ministry of Defence.

It said that the Indian military on Thursday morning targeted air defence radars and systems at several locations in Pakistan. “It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.”

Hours earlier, the Pakistani Army claimed it shot down 25 Indian drones that entered its airspace since Wednesday night, Al-Jazeera reported. Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed that drones were used on targets in the cities of Karachi and Lahore, among other places.

Pakistan said that one civilian was killed and four soldiers were injured in the drone attacks, according to Al-Jazeera.

“Indian drones continue to be sent into Pakistan airspace,” Chaudhry said. “… [India] will continue to pay dearly for this naked aggression.”

At least 26 persons were killed in Pakistan in India’s strikes on Wednesday, reported AFP. Islamabad claimed that the strikes killed and injured several civilians and called the operation a violation of its sovereignty.

India has said that the strikes “targeted only those who killed our innocent persons”.

Reiterating this, the defence ministry stated on Thursday that “any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response”.

Ceasefire violations

India also accused Pakistan of having 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”.

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

Pahalgam terror attack

The terror attack at the Baisaran area near Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on April 22 left 26 dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.

On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that The Resistance Front, an outfit affiliated with Lashkar-E-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.

Misri said that the attack was driven by the objective to disrupt normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir and hurt booming tourism. The attack was also aimed at provoking communal discord in India, he added.

The foreign secretary said that Pakistan had not taken clear steps to act against terrorists in its territory and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.