Pakistani forces on Thursday attempted to strike multiple Indian military targets, including in Adampur, Bhatinda and Chandigarh, but their efforts were successfully foiled, officials said.
The government said Indian forces had targeted and neutralised Pakistani Air Defence Radars and systems in several locations, including Lahore, in response to Pakistani attempts to attack multiple locations.
The Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, they said.
These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (Grid and Air Defence systems), the defence ministry said.
"The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks," it said.
"Today morning Indian armed forces targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan," the ministry said in a readout.
"It has been reliably learnt that an air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised," it said.
The ministry said Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing," the ministry said.
Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring mortar and artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt, it said.
"Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military," the ministry said.
Pakistan increased the intensity of unprovoked firing across the Line of Control on Thursday, deploying mortars and heavy calibre artillery.
The Indian armed forces reiterated their commitment to non-escalation, provided the Pakistani military respects the same, the Defence Ministry stated.
In the wake of 'Operation Sindoor', Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with secretaries of various ministries on Thursday and called for continued alertness and clear communication, while reaffirming the government's commitment to national security and operational preparedness.
The issues discussed during the meeting included strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. Ministries were also advised to maintain close coordination with state authorities and ground-level institutions, it said.
The high-level meeting, which included secretaries of various Ministries and departments of the government of India, reviewed national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination in light of recent developments concerning national security. PM Modi stressed the need for seamless coordination among ministries and agencies to uphold operational continuity and institutional resilience, the statement said.
"The prime minister called for continued alertness, institutional synergy, and clear communication as the nation navigates a sensitive period. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to national security, operational preparedness, and citizen safety," it said.
The meeting came a day after Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.
The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
During the meeting, Modi reviewed the planning and preparation by ministries to deal with the current situation. Secretaries have been directed to undertake a comprehensive review of their respective ministry’s operations and to ensure fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with special focus on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols, the statement said.
Secretaries detailed their planning with a 'whole of government' approach in the current situation, it said. All ministries have identified their actionables in relation to the conflict and are strengthening processes. Ministries are ready to deal with all kinds of emerging situations, the statement said.
The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, and Secretaries from key ministries including Defence, Home Affairs, External Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Power, Health, and Telecommunications.