"Pakistan Didn't Close Airspace, Used Civilian Flights As Shield": Government

Pakistan did not close its airspace yesterday and allowed civilian aircraft to operate, while it sneakily launched Turkish-made drones at Indian cities on Thursday, the government said in a briefing this evening.

Pakistan used the unsuspecting civilian aircraft flying in its airspace as shields, the government said.

At least 300-400 Pakistani drones flew towards civilian buildings, military installations and religious structures across northern India, the government said.

Even on Friday evening, some civilian flights were spotted on flight-tracking websites in Pakistani airspace, while the Indian side showed no flights.

India's air defence network successfully intercepted the drones.

Heavy shelling by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch hit the house of two students of a convent school, killing them.

"The targeting of temples, gurdwaras, convents is a new low by Pakistan," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in Delhi today.

Pakistan launched several Turkish-made Asisguard Songar armed drones in some areas; India's air defence network jammed several of them and shot down others, the government said in the briefing today.