On the night of May 7, 2025, Pakistan initiated a large-scale and unprovoked drone and missile assault on Indian military installations spread across Northern and Western India, particularly in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. In a move strongly condemned by Indian authorities, Pakistan intentionally kept its civilian airspace open during the operation, allowing commercial flights—including international carriers—to continue along routes like Karachi-Lahore, despite active military engagement in those areas.

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force, during a special briefing on Operation Sindoor, revealed that Pakistan's refusal to close its airspace was a calculated effort to use civilian aircraft as protective cover. She stressed that this decision placed innocent passengers and airline crews at severe risk, especially for flights operating close to the India-Pakistan border amid heightened military activity. Radar evidence from the IAF showed that, unlike India—which proactively cleared its skies to safeguard civilians—Pakistani airspace remained active with commercial traffic, increasing the risk to civilian aviation.

Despite continuous provocations, the Indian Air Force exercised notable restraint to avoid endangering civilian airliners in Pakistani skies. This caution allowed India to maintain high operational alertness and intercept multiple incoming threats without risking non-combatant lives. Alongside this use of civilian airspace, Pakistan deployed an estimated 300 to 400 drones—many of them Turkish-manufactured Asisguard Songar models—across 36 western border locations, attempting to infiltrate and strike Indian military targets. Indian forces responded decisively, neutralizing many drones through both kinetic and electronic means, with forensic analysis of the debris underway. The offensive also included heavy artillery shelling along the Line of Control, leading to casualties on both sides.

The drone and missile barrage was seen as a retaliatory move following India’s Operation Sindoor—a precision strike that dismantled nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Operation Sindoor itself was a direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian civilians.

Indian defence officials have criticized Pakistan's decision to use civil aviation as a cover during an active military operation, calling it a reckless violation of international aviation standards and a serious threat to global air safety. The situation has intensified tensions along the border, with both nations on heightened alert.

India has accused Pakistan of deliberately endangering civilian lives by keeping its airspace open during military strikes, calling it an attempt to deter Indian retaliation and complicate defensive operations. Combined with the extensive use of drones and artillery, this marks a dangerous escalation in hostilities between the two countries.