- Lt-Gen Chaudhry challenges India to present evidence of Pakistan’s attacks on its military installations with drone and missiles
- ‘Dozens of evidence’ available for horrific stories of Indian-sponsored terrorism inside Pakistan: DG ISPR
- Says India has been killing innocent people for ‘political objectives’
- DG says India’s attempts to promote volatility at eastern border were ‘aims at distracting Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts along western border’
- PAF shares locations of 5 downed Indian fighter jets, timeline of events unfolded after Indian missiles attack
- Pakistan did not target Indian territory, only returned fire at military posts on LoC, DG ISPR tells TRT World
ISLAMABAD: The chief military spokesperson on Friday declared that Pakistan’s armed forces are prepared for any eventuality “whatever the Indian army decides to do,” saying “but what they have started, I’ll tell you, we will finish it.”
ISPR Director-General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a press conference in Islamabad alongside Director General Public Relations (DGPR) of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Operations Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz.
They briefed the media persons on the evolving situation at the LoC and the broader regional implications. They strongly rejected Indian accusations over the Pahalgam attack, warning that New Delhi’s actions risk destabilising regional peace.
Challenging India to present evidence, if it has any, of Pakistan’s attacks on Indian military installations with drone and missiles, Lt-Gen Chaudhry stated that Pakistan has not used drones or rockets. “If India claims otherwise, let it present evidence,” he challenged, criticising Indian media for spreading “fabricated stories.”
Providing details of the way the Indian media blamed Pakistan shortly after the Pahalgam attack on April 22 without any evidence, Lt Gen Chaudhry maintained that India had adopted a similar stance in the past as well.
“Is this the first time India is doing this? There is a history to it,” he said.
“How did the Indian government jump to the conclusion regarding who the attackers were within 10 minutes of the incident? When you don’t have any evidence, what do you do? You open up the military front.”
He went on to say that India was shifting the blame for the attack on Pakistan to divert attention from its internal problems.
The military spokesperson called out India for launching attacks on Pakistan and targeting civilians, including women and children.
The DG ISPR has said that India has “no evidence” for its allegations of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack or the supposed attacks inside Indian territory in the last 48 hours.
“You just concoct stories. I think the time has come to ask the real and bitter questions that Indian government needs to stop living in cinema and theatrics.”
The DG ISPR said that the Indian government should “have some sense” and act responsibly, as neighbours should.
Lt-Gen Chaudhry said the first thing was to “put some sense” into the people with such hubris.
“The first and foremost thing is to tell them that don’t externalise your internal problems and don’t internalise your external problems,” he said.
He said that friendly countries in the neighbourhood can help the situation and jointly counter this regional threat.
“Have some sense. And don’t try to act like a regional hegemon, you are not and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states,” he said. “Live like a responsible state.”
The DG ISPR criticised India for shutting down news outlets and blocking access to X and other social media platforms.
“You don’t have the capacity, patience and morality to listen to the truth,” he said.
The DG ISPR said in an apparent reference to India that “if you are so fond of Pakistan firing at you, we will fulfil your demand at a time, place and means of our choosing.”
He asked India to “show the debris of at least [one downed] Pakistani aircraft or drone that Pakistan has fired” as evidence that Pakistan attacked India on the previous night across the international border.
The military spokesperson said that the Indian media’s claims were a “shame and a mockery of journalism”.
No direct communication between Pak-India NSAs
During the briefing, while replying a question, the DG ISPR said that he could confirm that “no such direct communication has taken place” between the national security advisers of Pakistan and India.
“As for indirect communication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can give a better answer as all such diplomatic efforts are handled by them,” he added.
He was responding to a query regarding any direct or indirect talks between Pakistan and India.
33 slain and 76 injured in Indian attacks so far
Lt-Gen Chaudhry said that 33 people were slain and 76 were injured in Indian attacks so far amid the recent escalation.
“There are 33 slain, all civilians [with] seven females and five children. There are 62 injured civilians, including 10 females and two children,” he added.
He continued that in the military, there were 14 injured personnel.
“You kill two-year-old children and celebrate it? It is shameful the way they are celebrating these strikes,” the military spokesperson said while referring to the Indian media.
The DG ISPR said that Pakistan is the “last bulwark” against terrorism emanating from and being sponsored by India.
He declared that “dozens of evidence” is available for the “horrific stories” of Indian-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan.
The military spokesperson added that “for each and every incident we can tell you how the Indian hand was involved.”
The DG ISPR said that India’s attempts to promote volatility at the eastern border were “aimed at distracting Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts because the objectives of this incident are to provide space to the terrorists sponsored by India who are operating along the western border” such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or terrorist groups in Balochistan.
PAF DGPR provides chain of events that led to Indian jets downing
During the briefing, PAF DGPR Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed said that India deployed “up to 70” fighter jets while the Pakistani side deployed 40 in their recent aerial escalation.
“Crossing 100, this is the first ever in the history of aviation. It is going to be taught as a textbook case and reference material in aerial combat history.”
He said the Indian Air Force jets had started an initial buildup that was picked up from the north and centre across the international boundary at 12:10am on May 7.
He said the PAF had initiated a response within two minutes.
“By 12:12am, our response was activated. IAF fighters got airborne in large numbers. By 12:30am, we were sure this was going to be the day and time to knock some sense into these guys once again.
“We commenced our multidomain ops, the pride and joy and the new concept of war that we have.”
He further said that up to 60 aircraft, including 14 Rafales, were identified electronically. “By the time they were airborne, we had contracted all our fighters. We augmented the 60 count to 72 through their scrambles … to saturate [our] air defence.”
He said Pakistan had 42 “hi-tech aircraft on our side” and the strategy was to have force concentration in the country’s area of range and fight at its own strength.
“PAF fighters ensured Pakistan’s air sovereignty. Because of that, we rerouted all civilian traffic from Lahore and Islamabad because we thought this would be the hot plate so we wanted safety for civilian airliners.”
DGPR Ahmed said the whole incident lasted for over an hour.
PAF shares locations of 5 downed Indian fighter jets
The PAF DGPR provided the locations of the five downed Indian fighter jets.
“These are the locations with the range bearing electronic ID. We are sure that a Mig-29 was shot down eight miles from the Line of Control (LoC) at a bearing of 243, 20 nautical miles from Srinagar,” he said in the press briefing.
He added that a Su-30 MKI was shot at a bearing of 192, 25 miles from the LoC.
He continued that an Indian Rafale was shot at bearing 144, 54 miles from Srinagar.
“We have exact range bearings because when the missile is getting active, you know exactly when the blip is disappearing. None of the claims has any fat in them, so they are pretty concise and accurate,” he added.
He also shared the audio of an Indian Rafale formation that lost one of its members when they were shot down.
Only targeting Indian posts on LoC: DG ISPR
Earlier, the DG ISPR rejected India’s claims of cross-border drone and missile strikes, stating it has only responded with small arms fire to Indian artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), and only against military targets.
In an interview with Turkiye public broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television World (TRT World), DG ISPR Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said India’s assertions of Pakistani missile and drone attacks on three Indian military bases were “fabricated” and unsupported by evidence.
“Pakistan has not fired rockets, drones, or missiles into Indian territory,” Gen Chaudhry said. “What we are doing is responding with small arms fire to Indian military posts targeting civilians across the LoC.”
He added, “India has created a media blitz, a frenzy, claiming aircraft, drone and missile attacks across the international border. That is absolutely false. There is no electronic signature, no captured pilots, and no evidence—only media storytelling.”
DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan is engaging Indian military positions as a defensive response to Indian shelling that he claimed has deliberately targeted civilian populations.
“These are not offensive operations. There has been no use of drones or missiles by Pakistan,” he said.
India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of attacking military bases with drones and missiles, an allegation Pakistan has strongly denied. DG ISPR said that in today’s warfare, such attacks would leave electronic signatures and physical evidence, none of which India has presented.
The general also responded to accusations surrounding the recent attack on tourists in Indian Illegaly Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying the perpetrators remain unknown.
“We have not been shown any credible evidence linking the attack to Pakistan,” he said. “India walked away from the offer of an independent and neutral investigation.”
He also accused India of using such incidents as political pretexts. “India has a pattern of using terror incidents to justify aggression for domestic political purposes,” he said.
“After the Pahalgam attack, instead of cooperating, India responded with strikes on six locations in Pakistan, including mosques and civilian sites, resulting in the deaths of children, women, and the elderly,” he added.
Asked about potential economic repercussions, including reports of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewing Pakistan’s $7 billion bailout, Lt-Gen Chaudhry deferred, saying such matters fall under the domain of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Foreign Office.
