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WHEN PAKISTAN CHOOSES TO RESPOND, ‘WORLD WILL SEE, HEAR’ IT: DG ISPR
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Friday, 9 May, 2025 I 11 Ziquad, 1446
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 302 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
g ACCUSES INDIA OF TARGETING ITS OWN CITIZENS, DEPUTY PM REJECTS DELHI’S CLAIMS OF PAKISTANI MILITARY PARTICULARLY SIKHS, TO CRAFT A DIVERSIONARY STRUCK 15 LOCATIONS IN INDIA NARRATIVE FOLLOWING REPEATED MILITARY FAILURES
PAKISTANI NATION IS UNITED IN FAITH AND RESOLUTE IN DEFENCE OF MOTHERLAND: LT-GEN CHAUDHRY
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ISLAMABAD
DEFENCE MINISTER WARNS A SERIES OF DRONE INCURSIONS BY INDIA MAKE A PAKISTANI RESPONSE TO INDIA ‘INCREASINGLY CERTAIN’
STAFF REPORT
N the midst of heightened tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbours, Pakistan on Thursday strongly rejected India’s claims that Pakistani military had fired missiles at 15 locations within its territory, describing the allegations as “false, baseless, and politically motivated.” The accusations are part of a broader campaign by New Delhi to divert attention from internal challenges and military shortcomings, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at a joint news conference on Thursday evening. As the situation spiraling out of control, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office. PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s
Pakistan neutralizes India-sent 29 Harop drones: ISPR ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s armed forces shot down as many as 29 Israeli-made Harop drones flown by India over multiple cities of the country, the military said on Thursday. Updating the media on the situation, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the drones were neutralised in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Bahawalpur, Mianwali, Karachi, Chor, Miano and Attock. He pointed out that one of the UAV partially struck a military target near Lahore which caused a minimal damage to equipment. “Four Pakistan Army personnel were injured in a drone attack in La-
resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that Pakistan reserved the right to act in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN
hore, while one civilian was martyred in Miano, Sindh,” the military spokesperson said, terming the attempts as a continued pattern of aggression and reaffirming that Pakistan’s forces remain on high alert to defend the country’s airspace and territorial integrity. The remotely-piloted aircraft were neutralised using both electronic countermeasures (soft-kill techniques) and conventional weaponry (hard-kill systems) after they were detected over several cities across Pakistan, the military’s media wing said in a statement. Lt-Gen Chaudhry described the drone incursions as a “desperate and panicked response” by India after Pakistan’s armed forces shot down its five jets – including three prized Rafale aircraft.
SC refers contempt case against Imran Khan to regular bench ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The constitutional bench (CB) of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday referred the contempt of court case against former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan to a regular bench. The CB decided that the matter did not involve any constitutional question that requires an interpretation by the constitutional bench. A five-member constitutional bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Aamir Farooq, heard the contempt of court case, filed by the federal government against Imran Khan. During the proceedings, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel asked, “Is not the regular bench supposed to hear the case?” Concurring with Justice Mandokhel, Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the former prime minister, said there was no constitutional matter in this case. “It would be better if you sent it to a regular bench.” Speaking on the occasion, the additional attorney general said that in the reserved seats case also, the court had forwarded the contempt case to a regular bench. “Therefore, the court better refer it to a regular bench.”
Charter, the statement read. He also appreciated President Trump’s concern over the current security situation in South Asia. Deputy PM accused India of targeting its own citizens, particularly Sikhs, to craft a diversionary narrative following repeated military failures. He was referring to the downing of five Indian fighter jets, including three France-made Rafale, by Pakistan’s military in retaliation for India’s missile strikes on civilian targets in multiple Pakistani cities. FM Dar further said that an Israelimanufactured drone was shot down over Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium which was sent by India in an apparent attempt to intimidate international players and disrupt normalcy in Pakistan.
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Trump offers to help reduce Pakistan-India tension ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
US President Donald Trump has expressed his hope that India and Pakistan will cease their escalating conflict and work toward peace after a series of missile strikes and artillery exchanges between the two nations. Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, offered his assistance to both sides, emphasizing his willingness to help mediate the situation. “It’s so terrible,” Trump said, acknowledging the tense standoff between the two countries. “I get along with both, I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop. They’ve gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now.” Trump’s comments came amidst
heavy fighting between India and Pakistan, particularly along their contested frontier. India had launched missile strikes that led to at least 43 deaths, exacerbating already high tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. The strikes were reportedly in retaliation for an attack on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan — a claim Islamabad denies. The US president reiterated his strong relationships with both nations, pointing out that he has good connections with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he hosted at the White House earlier this year. Trump’s administration had previously been more focused on building ties with India, but the recent escalation has prompted immediate diplomatic action.
FM Dar tells EU top diplomat Pakistan reserves right to ‘respond at a time of its choosing’ ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday told European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas that “Pakistan reserves the right to respond to Indian aggression appropriately at a time and place of its choosing, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.” Deputy PM Dar also briefed his Italian counterpart in a telephonic conversation on India’s “blatant act of aggression and violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.” This is the second telephone call between Pakistani FM and EU’s representative since May 2, according to a statement posted by the Foreign Office (FO) on X. Dar thanked the EU’s top diplomat for the bloc’s support and solidarity with Pakistan amid the escalation of tensions with India and reiterated that there was no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalagam attack in April. “He strongly condemned India’s blatant act of war, which violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and jeopardised regional peace and stability,” the FO wrote. “Emphasising that India’s actions were in violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the norms governing interstate relations, the DPM/FM rejected India’s baseless claims of targeting terrorist infrastructure.” According to the statement, Kallas “expressed heartfelt condolences for the loss of civilian lives and extended her sympathies to the families of the victims. She reiterated that both sides must exercise full restraint and pursue dialogue and diplomacy.” FM Dar briefs Italian counterpart on Indian escalation Earlier, DPM and FM Ishaq Dar briefed his Italian counterpart on India’s “blatant act of aggression and violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty through the use of standoff weapons” that he said targeted civilian populations across the international border, Radio Pakistan reports. He strongly condemned India’s cowardly attacks, which resulted in 31 deaths. “The DPM described India’s actions as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law, which have jeopardised regional peace and security and brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict.
Rubio urges India and Pakistan to de-escalate, backs direct dialogue WASHINGTON AGENCIES
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged de-escalation and expressed support for direct dialogue in separate calls with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to agencies reports on Thursday. “Rubio, in both phone calls, “emphasised the need for immediate deescalation”, Bruce said in readouts of the calls. “He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” Bruce said. Showing the delicate balancing act of Rubio’s diplomacy, the two State Department spokespersons’ readouts, sent out within a minute of each other, also included tailored messages for each side. He expressed sorrow to PM Shehbaz for the loss of civilian lives in the
current conflict. To Jaishankar, Rubio reaffirmed his commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism, Bruce said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office. It said PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that Pakistan reserved the right to act in selfdefence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the statement read. He also appreciated President Trump’s concern over the current security situation in South Asia. According to the statement, the PM conveyed Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes, which had led to the loss of 31 lives and injured 57 others, alongside damaging civilian infrastructure. “India’s attacks had violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while gravely jeopardising peace and stability in the South Asia region,” the
PM was quoted as saying. According to the statement, Secretary Rubio noted that the United States was closely following the situation in the re-
gion “as it was committed to promoting peace and stability”. He emphasised the need for both Pakistan and India to work closely to de-escalate the situation.
UNITED NATIONS
Twitter. “I call for both sides to exercise maximum restraint and for an immediate de-escalation.” Yang emphasized that any lasting peace must be rooted in diplomacy and adherence to international law. “I firmly believe that dialogue and diplomatic solutions in line with the UN Charter and international law are the only ways to resolve differences and achieve lasting peace and stability,” he added. The UNGA president’s statement echoed earlier global appeals urging both nuclear-armed nations to step back from confrontation and re-engage through peaceful means.
UNGA chief urges India, Pakistan to de-escalate STAFF REPORT
Amid rising hostilities between India and Pakistan, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Philemon Yang has called on both countries to exercise maximum restraint and immediately de-escalate tensions. His appeal comes in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor, which triggered a strong response from Pakistan. “I am deeply concerned about the escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan,” Yang posted on X, formerly
Pakistan reserves right to act in self-defence, PM Shehbaz tells Rubio ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office. PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that Pakistan reserved the right to act in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the statement read. He also appreciated President Trump’s concern over the current security situation in South Asia. According to the statement, the PM conveyed Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes, which had led to the loss of 31 lives and injured 57 others, alongside damaging civilian infrastructure. “India’s attacks had violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while gravely jeopardising peace and stability in the South Asia region,” the PM was quoted as saying. According to the statement, Secretary
Rubio noted that the United States was closely following the situation in the region “as it was committed to promoting peace and stability”. He emphasised the need for both Pakistan and India to work closely to de-escalate the situation. Pakistan army downs 29 Israeli-made Harop drones Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan Armed Forces have so far shot down 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones using both soft-kill (technical) and hard-kill (weapons-based) systems, following a series of provocative attacks by India. “At least 29 drones sent over by India have been neutralised by Pakistan,” the DG ISPR told a press briefing on Thursday. “Only one managed to partially engage its target, some equipment was damaged, and four soldiers were injured,” he said. “However, since the enemy doesn’t distinguish between military or civilians […] three people were martyred while four were
injured,” he said. The DG ISPR said that one Indian drone tried to target the holy place of the Sikh community at Nankana Sahib, calling the act “abhorrent and unacceptable”. “We saw it today, they directed one drone to Nankana Sahib, which we took out,” the DG ISPR said. He said that when Pakistan strikes India at a time and place of their choosing, the whole world will come to know, adding that “its reverberation will be heard everywhere”. The DG ISPR questioned India’s allegations against Pakistan, terming it a “phantom defence that they have mounted”. “The fascination that you have with phantom strikes, which we saw in 2016 when Uri was attacked,” he said. “After that, there was a phantom strike. On ground, nothing happened, but a strike was claimed,” he said. “The story that you are listening to today, we can very conveniently call it a phantom defence that they have mounted,” he said.
“That was a phantom strike, now they are reversing it that we have defended so well,” he said. Lt-Gen Chaudhry said that the Indian government needs to transit from “theatrics
and cinema” to the actual world. Refuting Indian claims of Pakistan targeting 15 places in India, the DG ISPR questioned whether the Indian government was living in the 21st century or not.