India has firmly denied Pakistan’s claims of severe damage to its military facilities after cross-border strikes carried out overnight. In a special press briefing on Saturday morning, top officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Army, and Indian Air Force jointly briefed the media about the situation on the western front. They described Pakistan’s moves as “provocative” but stressed that Indian forces responded “calmly, proportionately, and effectively.”
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, joined by Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, gave a detailed overview of Operation Sindoor—India’s counterstrike in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people.
Pak Misinformation Campaign
Misri called Pakistan’s narrative “a tissue of lies,” accusing it of spreading fabricated reports about major damage to Indian airbases, air defence systems, and other critical infrastructure.
“Claims have been made about large sections of Indian critical infrastructure, power systems, cyber systems, etc, being attacked and destroyed. These are completely false,” he said, adding that most of the targeted sites had already resumed normal operations.
India confirmed that 26 locations were targeted by Pakistani drones, missiles, loitering munitions, and airstrikes early Saturday. The attacked sites included airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Bathinda, Bhuj, and Adampur. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi noted that high-speed missiles struck the Punjab airbase at around 1:40 AM.
Despite acknowledging physical damage and some personnel injuries, Qureshi stated that Indian forces intercepted several threats.
“India neutralised many dangers,” she said, showing images of operational airbases like Sirsa and Suratgarh.
She added that Pakistan tried to breach Indian airspace at over two dozen points overnight.
“These included attempted drone incursions and armed UAV sightings in Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Jammu, Pathankot, Bhuj, and Jaisalmer,” she said. Indian forces responded using both kinetic intercepts and radar-guided countermeasures.
“They even targeted health facilities and schools in Srinagar, Avantipora, and Udhampur. These are dangerous escalations that violate all accepted conventions.”
Sustained Disinformation
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh took aim at Pakistan’s “sustained misinformation campaign,” calling it false and misleading.
She denied reports that India’s S-400 missile system had been taken out or that any major airbases were disabled.
“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,” she said.
Blasts Inside Pakistan
Strong explosions were reported early Saturday at several Pakistani airbases, including a key facility near Islamabad. In response, Pakistan shut down its airspace for all civilian and commercial flights.
India detailed its precision airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting key Pakistani military sites including command centres, radar facilities, and technical infrastructure.
