In a blistering condemnation, the Indian government on Friday accused Pakistan of endangering countless civilian lives by keeping its airspace open during a brazen missile and drone attack on Indian cities late Thursday night.
The assault, which unfolded around 8:30 PM on May 7, saw Pakistani forces launching an unprovoked aerial offensive targeting regions in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. But what has sparked particular outrage in New Delhi is Islamabad’s stunning decision not to suspend commercial air traffic during the attack—an act India is calling both “reckless” and “calculated.”
At a high-stakes press briefing, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force (IAF) did not mince words. “Pakistan refrained from shutting down its civil airspace despite carrying out an unprovoked and unsuccessful drone and missile attack on Indian cities,” she said. “This shows a clear and dangerous tactic of using civilian airliners as shields, fully aware that India’s air defence forces would respond robustly.”
#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/U73YyFYj6h
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2025
Radar evidence presented by the IAF paints a stark picture: as Indian airspace was swiftly cleared to protect civilian lives, Pakistani skies between Karachi and Lahore buzzed with commercial aircraft—oblivious or deliberately blind to the danger brewing below.
Singh emphasized the grave risk this posed, particularly near the International Border in the Punjab region, where tensions were at a boiling point. “The radar data we displayed, sourced from FlightRadar24, demonstrates that while India acted responsibly, Pakistan played a perilous game with global air safety.”
India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that the attack originated from Pakistani soil and hailed the effectiveness of the nation’s air defence systems, which successfully intercepted the incoming threats. Air raid sirens and power outages in several cities marked the tense moments of the attempted strike.
Significantly, Singh revealed that the IAF exercised “immense restraint” in withholding immediate retaliation—primarily to avoid jeopardizing the lives of civilians aboard international flights still traversing Pakistani airspace.
