In a sharp escalation of hostilities following India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, the Pakistani military attempted to target key Indian defence locations across Northern and Western India on the intervening night of May 7 and 8. The Indian Ministry of Defence confirmed Thursday that multiple incoming drones and missiles aimed at military installations were intercepted and neutralised by India's Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement, "On the night of 07–08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from multiple locations, confirming the Pakistani aggression."
Notably, Amritsar — home to Sikhism’s most revered shrine, the Golden Temple — was among the intended targets, marking a provocative and deeply sensitive move by Islamabad. The attacks come as retaliation for India’s Operation Sindoor, under which nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) were decimated in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
In a swift counter-response, the Indian Armed Forces struck Pakistan's air defence infrastructure, neutralising critical radar systems, including those in Lahore.
Adding to the growing list of provocations, Pakistani forces reportedly targeted Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, resulting in the tragic deaths of three civilians — Amrik Singh Ji (a raagi Singh), Bhai Amarjeet Singh, and Ranjit Singh.
Speaking firmly in the face of continued aggression, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated: "India has always acted as a responsible nation and has consistently advocated for resolving issues through dialogue. However, this should not be mistaken for weakness. If anyone tries to take undue advantage of our patience, they must be prepared to face decisive action, just as they did yesterday. We remain ready to deliver such a responsible response in the future as well."
