- PM conveys Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes
- Says India’s attacks violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while gravely jeopardising regional peace and stability
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office.
PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that Pakistan reserved the right to act in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the statement read. He also appreciated President Trump’s concern over the current security situation in South Asia.
According to the statement, the PM conveyed Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes, which had led to the loss of 31 lives and injured 57 others, alongside damaging civilian infrastructure.
“India’s attacks had violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while gravely jeopardising peace and stability in the South Asia region,” the PM was quoted as saying.
According to the statement, Secretary Rubio noted that the United States was closely following the situation in the region “as it was committed to promoting peace and stability”. He emphasised the need for both Pakistan and India to work closely to de-escalate the situation.
Pakistan army downs 29 Israeli-made Harop drones
Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan Armed Forces have so far shot down 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones using both soft-kill (technical) and hard-kill (weapons-based) systems, following a series of provocative attacks by India.
“At least 29 drones sent over by India have been neutralised by Pakistan,” the DG ISPR told a press briefing on Thursday.
“Only one managed to partially engage its target, some equipment was damaged, and four soldiers were injured,” he said.
“However, since the enemy doesn’t distinguish between military or civilians […] three people were martyred while four were injured,” he said.
The DG ISPR said that one Indian drone tried to target the holy place of the Sikh community at Nankana Sahib, calling the act “abhorrent and unacceptable”.
“We saw it today, they directed one drone to Nankana Sahib, which we took out,” the DG ISPR said.
He said that when Pakistan strikes India at a time and place of their choosing, the whole world will come to know, adding that “its reverberation will be heard everywhere”.
The DG ISPR questioned India’s allegations against Pakistan, terming it a “phantom defence that they have mounted”.
“The fascination that you have with phantom strikes, which we saw in 2016 when Uri was attacked,” he said.
“After that, there was a phantom strike. On ground, nothing happened, but a strike was claimed,” he said.
“The story that you are listening to today, we can very conveniently call it a phantom defence that they have mounted,” he said.
“That was a phantom strike, now they are reversing it that we have defended so well,” he said.
Lt-Gen Chaudhry said that the Indian government needs to transit from “theatrics and cinema” to the actual world.
Refuting Indian claims of Pakistan targeting 15 places in India, the DG ISPR questioned whether the Indian government was living in the 21st century or not.
“Because in the 21st century, every projectile leaves a digital trace and signature,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has told European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas that Pakistan reserved the right to respond to Indian aggression appropriately at a time and place of its choosing, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
This is the second telephone call between the two since May 2, according to a statement posted by the Foreign Office (FO) on X.
Dar thanked the EU’s top diplomat for the bloc’s support and solidarity with Pakistan amid the escalation of tensions with India and reiterated that there was no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalagam attack in April.
The escalation follows India’s cowardly assault on May 6/7, which resulted in the destruction of five advanced aircraft, drones, multiple military posts, and reported casualties among Indian troops, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release.
In a state of panic and confusion, India has resorted to deploying Israeli-made Harop drones for attacks on Pakistani territory.
These unprovoked attacks are a clear reflection of India’s desperation and frustration, as it continues to suffer significant losses along the Line of Control (LoC).
Debris of the downed Israeli drones is being recovered from various locations across Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Armed Forces are responding with full force, thwarting all hostile designs and delivering a decisive response to the enemy’s aggression.
