'Technical Thing That I Can’t Explain': Pakistani Minister Claims Indian Drones Not Intercepted To Avoid Exposing Air Defence Systems

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has contradicted the narrative of the country's military on Friday (9 May), stating that Indian drones were deliberately not intercepted to conceal the positions of Pakistan’s air defence units.

“The drone attack was mounted to detect our locations. It’s a technical thing that I can’t explain. We didn’t intercept the drones, so that the location of our aerial defence units won’t get leaked," Arif said in Pakistani Parliament.

India, in a statement on Thursday, said it targeted Pakistani air defence installations across multiple locations, including the destruction of a system deployed in Lahore.

According to reports, India utilised Israeli-developed Harop kamikaze drones in these attacks.

Contrary to Asif’s statement, the Pakistani Army had earlier asserted it had shot down 25 Indian drones between Wednesday night and Thursday.

Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudry, however, confirmed that the drone strikes in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and near Karachi caused one civilian casualty and an injury.

Since the outbreak of India-Pakistan conflict on 7 May, Khawaja Asif has repeatedly drawn international attention for his controversial comments.

Asif had earlier sparked controversy by admitting on record that Pakistan had been involved in what he termed the “dirty work” of supporting terrorism in South Asia.

In an interview with Sky News, when asked about Pakistan's long history of supporting and training terrorists, Asif replied, "Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and the West, including Britain.”

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