Following India's military retaliation against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan attempted to minimise the impact of the strikes. It claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets, three Rafales, one Su-30, and one MiG-29. According to a Bloomberg report, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif also stated that several Indian soldiers had been captured, though he did not reveal the number. “They have taken the initiative, we have just responded,” Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif informed Bloomberg Television.

He said, “We have been saying all along the last fortnight that we will never initiate anything hostile toward India. But if India attacks, we’ll respond. If India backs down, we’ll definitely wrap up.” The statement was issued as the Indian Armed Forces began ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which the Centre said were the locations “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.” 

Pakistani media reports have claimed that some Indian military personnel may have been captured during the clash, potentially referring to the pilots of the aircraft that were shot down. However, there has been no official confirmation of this. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the defence ministry stated that India used advanced long-range weapons such as SCALP cruise missiles and HAMMER precision bombs in its nighttime strike, signalling a carefully planned and highly accurate operation using some of the country's most advanced military technology. 

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, a senior commander in Pakistan’s military, stated, “Two Indian Air Force aircraft have been confirmed shot down.” He mentioned, “There are other reports of multiple damages… but I can confirm at least two aircraft have been downed,” presenting it as a successful defensive response. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar supported the military’s firm stance, saying the armed forces delivered a “crushing and resolute” response reflecting the nation’s emotions. He added, “This country will hold the enemy accountable for every single drop of its martyrs’ blood,” highlighting the emotional and political weight of the ongoing conflict. 

During a briefing on ‘Operation Sindoor’, India shared details with the media about a joint military operation aimed at Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which lasted approximately 25 minutes on the morning of Wednesday, May 7. The operation started at 1:05 am and concluded by 1:30 am. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi led the briefing. 

As India carried out a military strike on nine terror hotbeds in Pakistan, four in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, Muridke and Sialkot, and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), Islamabad warned New Delhi that the strikes “will not go unpunished.” In an X post, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that Islamabad reserves the right to react to the Indian missile attack. 

The Indian Army reported on Wednesday that three civilians were killed overnight by artillery fire from Pakistan's army along the Line of Control in Kashmir. "During the night of May 06-07... Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing, including artillery shelling from posts across the Line of Control and IB (international border) opposite Jammu and Kashmir," the Indian Army said in a statement, as quoted by news agency ANI. "Three innocent civilians lost their lives in indiscriminate firing/shelling," it continued, adding that the Indian army is "responding in a proportionate manner."