As tensions with India intensified, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated on Friday that Madrassa students would serve as the country's backup defence force when needed. He made this statement during a Parliament session, just a day after India carried out retaliatory drone strikes at several sites inside Pakistan. "As far as Madrassas or Madrassa students are concerned, there's no doubt they are our second line of defence, the youngsters who are studying there. When the time comes, they will be used as needed 100 per cent," said Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

During the assembly session, Asif tried to justify the lack of response to India's drone strikes by explaining that the drones were not intercepted to avoid revealing sensitive positions. He stated, "Yesterday, the drone attack by India was done to detect our locations. I cannot explain technical things, but we did not intercept their drones, so that our locations are not located or leaked." 

A few days after India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted Pakistan's terror camps, Pakistan retaliated on May 8 by launching a series of missile and drone attacks aimed at several locations in Jammu & Kashmir and nearby border states. The targets included the Jammu air base, an army installation, Jammu University, and other vital civilian infrastructure. Successfully, the Indian Army blocked and neutralised these attacks, while the Border Security Force (BSF) also stopped a significant infiltration attempt in the Samba sector.

In response, India launched a powerful counterattack, destroying Pakistan's air defence radars and systems in several locations, including Lahore, Sialkot, Karachi, and Islamabad. During the escalating tensions, India also downed five Pakistani jets, two JF-17s, one F-16, and one unidentified aircraft. This came after repeated pushes by Pakistan along the border.