Lahore (Pakistan), May 8 (LaPresse/AP) – Pakistan’s air defense system shot down an Indian drone early Thursday morning near a naval air base in the eastern city of Lahore, according to Pakistani police and security officials. It was not immediately clear whether the drone was armed. Local police official Mohammad Rizwan stated only that a drone was shot down near Waltan, a residential area of Lahore that also hosts military installations. Local media reported that two additional drones were shot down in other cities across Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital. The incident occurred a day after India launched strikes on mosques and residential areas in six locations in Pakistan-administered Punjab and Kashmir, killing 31 civilians, including women and children, according to Pakistani officials. In response, Pakistan’s air force reportedly shot down five Indian fighter jets. Tensions have been rising since last month when New Delhi accused Pakistan-backed militants—without providing evidence—of carrying out an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Hindus. India said its strikes targeted at least nine sites in Pakistan allegedly linked to planning terrorist attacks against India. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed overnight to avenge the killings but did not give details, fueling fears of a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
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