ISLAMABAD: Two ‘rudimentary drones’ were intercepted at different locations adjacent to Rawalpindi, and successfully brought down using electronic countermeasures.

Authorities said no damage or casualties were reported, while the airspace over the capital, which was briefly closed as a precaution, was quickly reopened.

According to the information ministry, “two rudimentary drones of terrorist Fitna al-Khawarij, nurtured by the Afghan Taliban regime, were successfully intercepted by the Pakistan security forces using electronic countermeasures”.

Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

It added that “no military or other infrastructure was hit, other than minor damage due to debris of the forced crashing of drones”, dismissing claims made by Afghan officials, who claimed to have targeted a military installation.

Earlier, the Pakistan Airports Authority said in a post on X — which was later deleted — that flight operations at Islamabad Inter­national Airport experienced a “brief operational adjustment”.

The statement came after multiple media outlets reported that Islamabad International Airport had been closed for flights.

In a later statement, however, the authority said that reports circulating about the closure of Islamabad’s airspace were “baseless”.

“Flight operations at Islamabad International Airport are continuing without interruption and all flights are operating according to schedule,” it said.

“The public is advised not to pay attention to unverified or misleading reports and to rely on official sources of PAA for authentic information,” it said.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2026