Pakistan says it downed 25 Indian drones in cross-border escalation

Pakistan’s military on Thursday said it intercepted and destroyed 25 drones launched from India, but confirmed that one drone managed to strike a military installation in the northeastern city of Lahore.

The strikes, which occurred on May 7 and 8, followed Indian airstrikes that targeted several locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

“India attempted incursions into Pakistani territory. Our forces remain on high alert,” said Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during a televised press conference. He added one person was killed in Miani, Sindh province and four security personnel were injured in Lahore.

A piece of drone debris in LahoreSecurity source

Calling the drone strikes a “grave provocation,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry also accused Indian forces of targeting civilian homes and places of worship in earlier attacks.

Reports of drone activity came from multiple cities including Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Karachi, Lahore, Bahawalpur and Gujranwala.

He said Israeli-made Harop drones were used in the attack.

Drones target Rawalpindi near high-security zones

Three drones were downed near high-security zones in Rawalpindi, a city which houses key military installations including the Pakistan Army headquarters, the Pakistan military said in a statement.

The first drone was intercepted near Food Street on Stadium Road, close to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) office and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches are currently taking place with international players in attendance.

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A second drone crashed in the Westridge Race Course area, near the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ), according to local police. A third drone reportedly went down onto a private residence, causing panic among residents.

All impacted sites have been cordoned off by law enforcement, and evidence is being collected.

In neighboring Islamabad, sirens were heard multiple times, triggering heightened security. However, city officials later clarified the alerts were part of a scheduled mock exercise, not linked to any threat.

What is India saying?

India's Defense Ministry said in a statement it "neutralized" attempts by Pakistan to "engage" several military targets in its northern and western regions on Wednesday night and early Thursday.

Indian armed forces also targeted air defense radars and systems at several locations in Pakistan on Thursday, it added.

Speaking after the Wednesday missile strike, India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said New Delhi had a "right to respond."

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged small arms and artillery fire overnight along the de facto border in contested Kashmir, the Indian army said Thursday.

On the Indian side of the frontier on Wednesday, Madasar Choudhary, 29, described how his sister saw two children killed in Poonch, where Pakistan military carried out shelling.

"She saw two children running out of her neighbor's house and screamed for them to get back inside," Choudhary said, narrating her account because she was too shocked to speak.

"But shrapnel hit the children -- and they eventually died."

Earlier attacks

On Wednesday, India said it carried out strikes on “terrorist camps” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan rejected the claim, saying 31 civilians, including children, were killed in the attacks.

In response, Pakistan said it had downed five Indian jets.

Also on Wednesday, Pakistan authorized its military to carry out retaliatory action after deadly Indian airstrikes killed 26 civilians.

The escalation stems from an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, an allegation Islamabad denies.

Children pass by the closed gate of a school after schools remained closed for the second day following clashes between India and Pakistan, in Srinagar, Kashmir, May 8, 2025Reuters

Hight alert

Hospitals and civil defense units across Pakistan’s Punjab province remain on high alert.

The Civil Aviation Authority said airports in the country's three major cities -- Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore -- were closed until 6 pm.

The U.S. Consulate General in Lahore has directed its staff to shelter in place amid reports of drone explosions, downed drones and possible airspace incursions, the country's State Department said on Thursday.

The consulate said it has also received initial reports that authorities may be evacuating some areas adjacent to Lahore’s main airport, according to a statement.

World leaders urge calm

U.S. President Donald Trump called for calm, saying he hopes the two countries can “work it out” and offered to help mediate if needed.

The UN and multiple countries, including France, Germany, China and Russia, have asked both countries to exercise retraint.

The crisis comes at a delicate time for Pakistan’s economy, still recovering from a recent financial crisis that nearly led to default before it secured a bailout from the IMF in 2023.

How experts see the escalation

Analysts said they were fully expecting Pakistani military action to "save face" in a response to India.

"India's limited objectives are met," said Happymon Jacob, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Council for Strategic and Defence Research.

"Pakistan has a limited objective of ensuring that it carries out a retaliatory strike to save face domestically and internationally. So, that is likely to happen."

Based on past conflicts, he believed it would "likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other's territory".

*With input from AFP, Reuters