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Pakistan Targeted Golden Temple in Retaliatory Strike, Foiled by Indian Air Defence: Army
The Indian Army has revealed that Pakistan attempted to strike the Golden Temple in Amritsar with drones and long-range missiles during a retaliatory assault following India’s Operation Sindoor. The attack, which occurred on the night of 7–8 May, was successfully thwarted by India’s air defence systems, according to senior Army officials.
Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of the 15th Infantry Division, stated that Pakistani forces launched “a massive air assault with unmanned aerial weapons, primarily drones and long-range missiles,” early on 8 May under the cover of darkness.
“Knowing that the Pakistan Army does not have any legitimate military targets, we anticipated that they would target Indian military installations, civilian infrastructure, and even religious places. Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent,” Major General Seshadri told ANI.
The Major General said that the forces had already taken precautionary measures by deploying a “holistic air defence umbrella cover” over the iconic Sikh shrine. Defence units mobilised the Akash missile system and L-70 anti-aircraft guns to protect not only the Golden Temple but also key urban centres across Punjab.
“We were fully prepared since we had anticipated this, and our brave and vigilant Army air defence gunners thwarted the Pakistan Army’s nefarious designs,” Major General Seshadri added. “They shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple, not allowing even a scratch to come upon our holy shrine.”
The Defence Ministry had earlier confirmed that several Indian cities and military installations were targeted in the coordinated overnight assault, including Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Bhuj. Explosions were also reported across parts of Kashmir.
The Pakistani attack came in response to India’s Operation Sindoor, during which precision strikes were carried out on nine terrorist facilities inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. That operation was itself a retaliation for the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people.
