Pakistan’s air defense forces shot down an Indian drone early Thursday in Lahore, according to government sources, amid escalating tensions with India. This comes as India evacuates thousands from villages near the volatile border in the disputed Kashmir region.
The drone incident occurred a day after Indian missile strikes on Pakistani territory reportedly killed 31 civilians, including women and children, according to Pakistani officials.
Relations between the two nations have sharply deteriorated since April 22, when an attack by armed gunmen in India-administered Kashmir left 26 people dead, most of them Indian Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the militants behind the attack, a claim Islamabad has denied.
Police officer Mohammad Rizwan confirmed that a drone was shot down near Walton Airport, a civilian and military airfield located in a residential area of Lahore, approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Indian border.
Local media also reported that two more drones were brought down in other cities within Punjab province, where Lahore serves as the capital.
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According to two unnamed security officials, the drone was a small Indian model intercepted by Pakistan’s air defense. They declined to be identified, citing restrictions on speaking to the press. It remains unclear whether the drone was carrying weapons.
The incident has not yet been independently verified, and Indian authorities have not issued an official response.
Meanwhile, in Punjab’s Chakwal district, another drone crashed into farmland. No injuries were reported. Police chief Ghulam Mohiuddin did not specify the drone’s origin, but said authorities have secured the wreckage and launched an investigation into its source and mission.
India said its strikes Wednesday targeted at least nine sites in Pakistan linked to planning terrorist attacks against India. Some of these targets were in Punjab and most of Wednesday's casualties were in this province.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed overnight to avenge the killings but gave no details, raising fears of a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Across the de-facto border in Indian-controlled Kashmir, tens of thousands of people slept in shelters overnight, officials and residents said Thursday.
Indian authorities evacuated civilians from dozens of villages living close to the highly militarized Line of Control overnight while some living in border towns like Uri and Poonch left their homes voluntarily, three police and civil officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental regulations.