New Delhi: India said on May 8 that it had carried out a second round of strikes inside Pakistan, this time targeting air defence radars and associated systems. The defence ministry described the action as a response “in the same domain with the same intensity” to Pakistan’s earlier attempt to hit military installations in northern and western India using missiles and drones.This marked a further escalation a day after India struck nine locations in Pakistan said to host “terror infrastructure,” following a terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.While India said it had avoided military targets in the earlier strikes, Pakistan claimed scores of civilians had been killed. In response, Pakistan’s National Security Committee authorised the military on Wednesday to “avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and the blatant violation of its sovereignty.”Throughout the night of May 7 and 8, Indian officials reported increased cross-border shelling, particularly in Poonch, where they said 16 civilians were killed. Meanwhile, sounds of explosion were reported from cities in Pakistan and north-western India.On Thursday afternoon, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, alleged that India had deployed Israeli-made Harop drones to multiple locations the previous night. He initially said 12 drones had been neutralised, later revising the figure to 29.The drones were said to have been intercepted in Lahore, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Bahawalpur, Miano, Karachi, Chhor, Rawalpindi and Attock. One civilian was killed and four soldiers injured in these attacks, Pakistan claimed.‘Neutralised’Two hours after the Pakistani briefing, India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed a second wave of strikes in a statement.“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.”The ministry also said Pakistan had attempted to strike military targets in northern and western India – including locations such as Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bhatinda, Chandigarh and Bhuj – with drones and missiles on the night of May 7-8. These were “neutralised” by India’s Integrated Counter Unmanned Aircraft System Grid and missile systems, the statement said, adding that debris was being recovered from multiple locations.India also cited intensified Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control affecting areas in Jammu and Kashmir, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri, for it being “compelled” to retaliate with mortar and heavy artillery. The defence ministry said 16 civilians had been killed due to Pakistani shelling, including three women and five children.The ministry reiterated that India’s initial response on May 7 was “focussed, measured and non-escalatory,” and had deliberately avoided military installations. It added that India’s armed forces remained committed to non-escalation “provided it is respected by the Pakistani military.”Besides, the briefing for all political parties, Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh announced that Operation Sindoor was still “ongoing”.‘Very, very firm response’Earlier in the day, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar conveyed a similar message about retaliation during public remarks to his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Aragchi, at the Joint Commission meeting in New Delhi.“It is not our intention to escalate this situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very very firm response. As a neighbour and close partner, it is important that you have a good understanding of this situation,” Jaishankar said.The Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir also met with the Indian foreign minister in an unannounced visit to New Delhi today.Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister M. Ishaq Dar said in an interview to the Turkish outlet TRT that both the national security advisors had spoken with each other, but there has been no confirmation from Delhi on this so far. Dar also reiterated Pakistan’s claim that it had shot down five Indian fighter jets – a statement that has not yet drawn a response from the Indian side.Asked about Pak claim of downing Indian fighter jets, foreign secretary demursAt a special media briefing, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said he had “no information with regard to contacts between the two national security advisers”.He categorically dismissed Pakistan’s allegation that the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project had been attacked as an “absolute and complete fabrication”.“I should note that if this kind of a claim is a pretext for targeting Indian infrastructure of a similar nature, Pakistan will be entirely responsible for the consequences that will undoubtedly follow,” he warned.Asked about Pakistan’s claim of having downed Indian fighter jets, Misri demurred, stating that India would release official information at a later stage. “Look, when the time is right, the official information will be shared,” he said.Till now, international news media like CNN and Reuters have cited French and US intelligence officials to claim that at least two Indian fighter jets crashed.He also declined to confirm reports that 100 militants or a top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba figure had been killed in the strikes, saying it was too early for a definitive assessment.“I don’t have information at this point in time to share with you on these issues … Please understand that slightly over 36 hours only have passed since this operation was undertaken. Let’s have some patience.”This was the first time the Indian government had fielded media questions about the military operation since it began on May 7.Misri said he wanted to “set the record straight” on the “disinformation and fabrication that has come from across the border”.He began by identifying the April 22 terror attack as the “original escalation” and reiterated Pakistan’s links to The Resistance Front, which had claimed responsibility.“Our intention has not been to escalate matters. We are only responding to the original escalation, as I said, and our response has been targeted, precise, controlled and measured,” he said.He rejected Pakistan’s claim that India was targeting religious sites, calling it a “disinformation campaign to paint our action with regard to cross-border terrorism through the communal angle”.“If that is the issue, then I think I can do no better than to cite or point you in the direction of the Pakistan army chief’s speech of April 16, 2025. I think that is the last word in communal rhetoric,” he said, referring to remarks in which the Pakistan army chief once again described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and invoked the two-nation theory.Misri also said Pakistan had historically “misused religious sites as a cover to radicalise, direct, indoctrinate and train terrorists”.Responding to Pakistan’s claim that only civilians were killed in the Indian strikes, Misri held up a photo of a funeral prayer attended by Pakistani army personnel. “As far as we are concerned, the individuals eliminated at these facilities were terrorists,” he said.He also rejected Pakistan’s call for an independent investigation, pointing out that Islamabad had shown no progress on evidence provided by India in cases such as the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks.“I think the experience has not been positive, and it certainly doesn’t give us the confidence now to take at face value Pakistani assertions of wishing to participate in a joint investigation. These are just delaying tactics,” said Misri.