ISLAMABAD: Tensions along the Pakistan-India border escalated further as the Pakistan Army reported downing 48 more drones since this morning, bringing the total number of intercepted drones to 77 over the past two days.
According to security sources, India has suffered significant financial losses due to the destruction of these high-tech unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including Israeli-made models.
Reports suggest that four advanced Israeli Harop drones were brought down in the Okara Cantonment area, landing in agricultural fields at a safe distance from populated zones. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Sources further confirmed that the Pakistan Army shot down one drone in Vehari, one in Pakpattan, and four in Okara. All drones were reportedly being monitored via radar before being neutralized.
Military officials said the financial impact on India has been massive, amounting to billions of dollars, without achieving any strategic objectives. In a previous incident, Pakistan had claimed that they also downed five Indian fighter jets, including Rafale aircraft, each valued at tens of millions of dollars.
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, stated that all hostile drones are being tracked continuously on radar. "Our air defense system is capable of detecting even small drones and responds according to established operational protocols, especially in areas with civilian presence or commercial air traffic," he said.
Defense analysts say these incidents underline the strength and readiness of Pakistan’s air defense systems, particularly their ability to counter advanced drones like the Israeli Harop model.
Earlier, on Thursday, India had also attempted drone incursions using Israeli UAVs, which were thwarted by Pakistan’s integrated use of "swift and hard" counter-drone technology. That day alone, 29 Harop drones were downed.
Sources further reported that two drones were brought down in Karachi’s Shah Faisal and Gulshan-e-Hadid areas. In Ghotki district, a drone crash led to the death of a farmer named Mukhtiar and injuries to his father, Idhan.
In Punjab, drones were also shot down in Lahore (3), Rawalpindi (3), Gujranwala (2), Bahuman village in Sheikhupura, and in the jurisdiction of Dhouman police station in Chakwal. Another was intercepted in the Cholistan desert near Bahawalpur.
A separate incident in Attock resulted in the death of a local man named Mehboob due to falling debris. In Narowal, civilians reportedly captured an Indian surveillance drone, while additional Israeli-made drones were destroyed along various other border locations.
