LIVE | Operation Sindoor, India-Pakistan Tensions Live: Pakistan attacked 36 Indian locations with Turkish drones, using civilian airlines as shields

With the US having cut off arms supplies to Pakistan in the wake of the changed geopolitical situation in Afghanistan, cash-strapped Islamabad has been increasingly leaning on China in recent years to fill the gap.

According to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China was the largest supplier of military hardware to Pakistan, accounting for as much as 81% of the country’s total imports, followed by the Netherlands at 5.5 per cent and Turkey at 3.8%.

China sees Pakistan as an important cog in its geopolitical strategy to counterbalance India and secure access to the Arabian Sea through the Gwadar port. Turkey is also emerging as a close ally of Pakistan. Turkish President Erdogan expressed solidarity with Pakistan amid rising tensions with India following Operation Sindoor.

World Bank president Ajay Banga met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday amid escalating tensions with Pakistan. The development came a week after India suspended the World Bank-brokered Indus Water Treaty.

In the interest of national security, all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription based model or otherwise, having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

The Ministry of External Affairs is set to hold a briefing about Operation Sindoor Phase 2 at 5:30 pm. The MEA is likely to share additional details and possibly videos from the overnight clash with Pakistan — including Indian drone strikes in Lahore and imagery of Pak drones/missiles intercepted in multiple locations.

The Harpy drones designed to attack radar systems were used by the Indian armed forces to target enemy air defence systems in Pakistan.

The Harpy is designed to attack radar systems and is optimised for the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) role. It carries a high-explosive warhead. Equipped with an Anti-Radiation (AR) seeker, HARPY can autonomously seek and strike emitting, high-value targets. The HARPY operates in deep strike missions lasting up to 9 hours, day and night, in all weather conditions, and in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-denied or contested battlefields. HARPY is equipped to hunt–seek targets in a designated area, locate and identify their frequency, and autonomously pursue a strike from any direction, at shallow or steep dive profiles.

Metal debris was found scattered at some places in a village in Amritsar district on Thursday, with some locals claiming them to be parts of a missile. Police said the objects can be identified only after an investigation.

The villagers said they found the metal parts in some open fields and houses at Jethuwal village in the district. They said no damage was caused to any property.

Upon finding the debris, the locals contacted the police, who further informed the Army.

“The precision with which Operation Sindhoor was executed is unimaginable, very praiseworthy. Nine terorrists camps were destroyed in it and a large number of terrorists were killed. This operation was carried out without harming any innocent and with minimum collateral damage,” he said.

As many as 90 flights to and from Delhi airport, including 5 international departures, were cancelled by various airlines on Thursday, according to a source.

Around 27 airports in various parts of the country are closed in the wake of Operation Sindoor, under which armed forces carried out strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack that had killed at least 26 people last month.

As a result of the closure of the airports, many flights have been cancelled.

A total of 46 domestic departures and 33 arrivals were cancelled. Also, 5 international departures and 6 arrivals were cancelled at the Delhi airport, the source said.

The cancellations happened between 0800 and 1400 hours.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange plunged by over 6% on Thursday with trading halted for an hour after rumours of escalation in military action by India near Karachi. Although the rumours were unfounded, the benchmark KSE100 index tumbled 6,948.73 points, or 6.32 per cent, to 1,03,060.30, before the trading was halted.

A Reuters report quoted Chinese officials as stating that they were “not familiar with the matter” when asked whether Chinese jets were involved in the India-Pakistan conflict. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian was speaking at a regular media briefing in Beijing.

“… Shelling occurred all day yesterday in Poonch and the whole district was affected by it. Whenever such situations arose, our city always stayed safe. But now, people have lost their lives in large numbers. Religious structures have also been targeted… In this building also, our Ustaad was killed in the shelling. His six children were also present here at the time.,” the Vice Principal of Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom Poonch told ANI.

“Poonch saw very heavy shelling yesterday… Bhai Amrik Singh, a raagi, in our gurudwara, died in the shelling; he was in his shop located on the ground floor of his house when this happened… A shell hit the gurdwara as well, but there was no one present here… One Hindu child has been killed, four Sikhs have been killed, and many from the Muslim community have also lost their lives in the shelling… People have started migrating in large numbers,” added Narinder Singh — the President of District Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.

Due to reports of drone explosions, downed drones, and possible airspace incursions in and near Lahore, the US Consulate General in Lahore has directed all consulate personnel to shelter-in-place. The Consulate has also received initial reports that authorities may be evacuating some areas adjacent to Lahore’s main airport. US citizens who find themselves in an area of active conflict should leave if they can do so safely.  If it is not safe to leave, they should shelter-in-place: US Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan

The Defence MInistry reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response by the country.

The statement by Ministry of Defence specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted.

The statement by the Ministry of Defence called India’s response as “focused, measured and non-escalatory”.

News agency ANI reported on Thursday that the Indian Air Force activated its S-400 ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ air defence missile systems last night to intercept and destroy multiple aerial threats approaching the Indian territory. According to several defence experts who spoke to ANI, the systems successfully neutralised the targets. There is no official statement yet from the government on this piece of information.

The Defence Ministry said that during the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted drone and missile strikes on several Indian military targets in the northern and western regions—including cities like Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, and Chandigarh. However, India’s Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) and Air Defence units successfully intercepted and neutralised these threats. Debris from the downed drones and missiles is being recovered as evidence of Pakistan’s cross-border aggression

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday released a statement that stated that an Air Defence system at Lahore was neutralised. The statement made it clear that the information was relaible.

The Ministry of Defence in its statement revealed that Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the LoC using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas of Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BSF has stated that they have stopped ceremonial retreat events at all three border points along the border in Punjab. This has been decided keeping in view the safety of public due to ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday announced that the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes on Pakistani Air Defence radars and systems at multiple locations early morning. Among the key hits, an Air Defence system in Lahore was neutralised, the release confirmed. The Ministry noted that India’s response matched Pakistan’s attacks in both scale and intensity. Pakistan had earlier escalated tensions by launching unprovoked mortar and heavy artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC), affecting areas such as Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

In its first meeting for the 2025-26 term, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution congratulating the Indian armed forces for the success of Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. PAC chairperson K C Venugopal stated that the panel came together in full support of the armed forces for their decisive action.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting today with Secretaries from various Ministries and Departments to assess the country’s readiness and coordination in response to recent national security developments. He emphasized the importance of smooth cooperation between ministries and agencies to maintain effective functioning and strengthen institutional resilience. The Prime Minister also reviewed the ongoing plans and preparations by different ministries to manage the current situation, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi for a bilateral discussion on Thursday. During the meeting, Jaishankar explained that Iran’s visit comes at a sensitive time for India, following a brutal terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir on April 22. He said India had no choice but to respond on May 7 by targeting terrorist infrastructure across the border. The minister said that India’s actions were precise and restrained, with no intention of escalating tensions. However, he made it clear that any further military aggression against India would be met with a strong and decisive response. He stressed the importance of Iran, as a neighboring country, in understanding India’s position clearly.

Singapore has urged its citizens to postpone any non-essential trips to Jammu and Kashmir, as well as to Pakistan, due to the escalating tension between the two countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised travellers on Wednesday to be especially careful in the areas near India-Pakistan border.

Security has been tightened along the Gujarat coast, and all police officers have been called back to duty with immediate effect as their leaves have been cancelled due to the current tense situation, officials said on Thursday. This decision comes after Operation Sindoor, where Indian armed forces targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and a local. Gujarat shares both land and sea borders with Pakistan, prompting heightened security measures. The state police chief, Vikas Sahay, issued the directive late Wednesday night.

At the all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh tells told opposition leaders that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes under Op Sindoor, as reported by PTI.

Following the all-party meeting, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi expressed his appreciation for the Indian Armed Forces and the government for carrying out Operation Sindoor. He proposed that India should launch an international campaign against the Resistance Front (TRF) and urged the government to request the United States to officially label TRF as a terrorist group. Owaisi also recommended that India work towards having Pakistan placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.