India on Friday accused Pakistan of endangering civilian lives by using passenger aircraft as cover during its failed drone and missile strike on Indian territory the previous evening.
In a joint briefing, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said Pakistan deliberately kept its civil airspace open during the unprovoked attack at 8:30 pm on May 7, despite knowing that Indian air defences would respond swiftly.
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“Pakistan used civil airliners as a shield, fully aware that the attack would trigger a strong air defence response,” they said, warning that this posed a serious risk to unsuspecting civilian and international flights operating near the India-Pakistan international border.
Vyomika Singh said, “…Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite it launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7 May at 08:30 hours in the evening. Pakistan is using civil airliner as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defence response.
“This is not safe for the unsuspecting civil airliners including the international flights which were flying near IB between India and Pakistan. The screenshot we just showed the data of the application flight radar 24 during a high air defence alert situation in the Punjab sector. As you have seen, the airspace on the Indian side is absolutely devoid of civil air traffic due to our declared closure. However, there are civil airlines flying the air route between Karachi and Lahore…Indian Air force demonstrated considerable restraint in its response thus ensuring safety of international civil carriers,” she added.
#WATCH | Delhi: Wing Commander Vyomika Singh says, "...Pakistan did not close its civil airspace despite it launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7 May at 08:30 hours in the evening. Pakistan is using civil airliner as a shield, knowing fully well that its… pic.twitter.com/VaTB61Wqr6
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2025