New Delhi: The Indian government, in a briefing regarding Pakistan’s ongoing violations of airspace following the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure within its territory, stated on Friday that the neighboring country was utilizing civilian flights as a ‘cover’ and did not close its civilian airspace even while conducting an attack on India. During a special briefing on Operation Sindoor, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh remarked, ‘Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite launching an unprovoked drone and missile attack on May 7 at 08:30 PM.
Pakistan is employing civil airliners as a shield, fully aware that its aggression towards India would provoke a rapid air defense response.’ She further highlighted that this decision posed a risk to unsuspecting civil airliners, including international flights operating in proximity to the India-Pakistan border. ‘This situation is unsafe for unsuspecting civil airliners, including international flights traversing the International Border between India and Pakistan,’ she stated. During the briefing, the Wing Commander presented data from the flight tracking application Flight Radar 24 during a heightened air defense alert in the Punjab sector. Singh noted that while India’s airspace was closed due to the elevated alert status, Pakistan permitted civil airlines to continue their operations, including those on the Karachi-Lahore route.
‘As you can observe, the airspace on the Indian side is completely devoid of civil air traffic due to our declared closure. However, civil airlines are still operating on the route between Karachi and Lahore… The Indian Air Force exhibited significant restraint in its response, thereby ensuring the safety of international civil carriers,’ she concluded.
During a press briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi disclosed that the Pakistani army repeatedly breached Indian airspace along the entire western border with the aim of striking military infrastructure. Additionally, one Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was directed towards the Bhatinda military station, but this attempt was thwarted. Colonel Qureshi stated, ‘On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani army conducted multiple violations of Indian airspace to target military facilities. The likely objective of these extensive aerial incursions was to assess air defense systems and gather intelligence.’
