Pakistan’s Air Defence shot down an Indian Harop drone in Bahawalnagar, Information Minister Atta Tarar announced, while rejecting Indian media’s false claims of Pakistani attacks on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Information and Broadcasting Minister Atta Tarar announced via X that Pakistan’s Air Defence successfully neutralised an Indian Harop drone in Bahawalnagar, stating, “Alhamdulillah.”
Tarar firmly denied Indian media allegations of Pakistani strikes on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling them “baseless” and aimed at crafting a “fake notion of success.” Security sources echoed this, labelling the claims “white lies” to mislead globally and justify India’s aggression, including missile and drone strikes.
🚨Pakistan Air Defence has successfully shot down another Harop drone in Bahawalnagar#IndiaPakistanWar #PakistanArmy
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) May 8, 2025
The drone incident follows India’s May 6 airstrikes on Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, killing 31 civilians, per Reuters. In a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, asserting the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, per a PM Office statement cited by Al Jazeera. Rubio urged de-escalation, per Bloomberg.
India’s strikes, part of “Operation Sindoor,” targeted alleged militant sites after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 and was baselessly linked to Pakistan, per The Guardian. Pakistan’s retaliation, downing five Indian jets and 25 Harop drones, intensified the nuclear-armed crisis, per Business Standard.
Read: Pakistan Neutralizes 25 Israeli Made Indian Drones
Pakistan’s downing of an Indian Harop drone in Bahawalnagar on May 8, 2025, and rejection of IIOJK attack claims, as stated by Atta Tarar, mark a tense escalation in India-Pakistan tensions. With 31 civilian deaths from India’s strikes, Pakistan asserts its defence rights. As disinformation spreads, global calls for de-escalation grow urgent.