Pakistan has claimed that its forces have shot down a total of 77 Indian drones as military tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors continue to escalate following last month’s deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to a report by Pakistan Television (PTV) on Friday, citing security officials, 29 Indian drones were downed by the evening of May 8, while an additional 48 drones were destroyed overnight.
The heightened conflict follows India’s missile strikes across multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Wednesday, in what New Delhi described as retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
India blamed the assault on The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based militant group — a charge Islamabad has strongly denied.
In response, Pakistan launched retaliatory missile and rocket attacks and has since engaged in border skirmishes with Indian forces, particularly along the Kashmir frontier.
State-run media described Pakistan’s actions as a “befitting response to Indian aggression.”
Amid the growing conflict, the district administration of Abbottabad has imposed a two-month ban on all drone activities.
A notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner’s office stated the ban is a preventive measure to block potential aerial surveillance by anti-state elements.
The public has been urged to report any suspicious drone activity to local authorities, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.