Team News Riveting
New Delhi, May 9
Amidst escalating tensions, a wave of Pakistani drones crossed into Indian territory in Jammu Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan on Friday, prompting a robust response from Indian security forces.
One of the drones struck a residential area in Punjab’s Firozpur district, injuring three people. The victims were promptly rushed to a nearby hospital and are currently receiving treatment.
Jammu city plunged into darkness on Friday evening after blasts were heard in the region and siren sounded to alert the civilians. The blasts come amid ongoing shelling by Pakistan following India’s strike on terror hideouts earlier this week as part of Operation Sindoor.
“Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, ‘Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city’.
Earlier, Indian armed forces on Friday said Pakistan violated Indian airspace to target their military installations on the intervening night of May 8 and 9. “Pakistan sent 300-400 drones at 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek on Thursday night to target our military installations,” Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said while briefing media persons on Friday. One Pakistani armed unmanned aerial vehicle was sent to target the Bathinda military station; but the attempt was foiled.
Initial investigations suggest that these drones were Turkish-made Asisguard Songar models, primarily used for surveillance. Meanwhile, shelling and explosions were reported across Jammu, Poonch, and Rajouri, while sirens blared in Udhampur, Samba, and other areas, indicating a growing risk of escalation.
The drone incursions appeared to be a coordinated intelligence-gathering operation, with activities observed in key border locations like Firozpur, Amritsar, Pathankot, and Gharinda. In response, the Indian military activated air defence systems, successfully intercepting many drones. Residents in these areas experienced blackouts and were urged to stay indoors for safety. Explosions were also reported in Amritsar and Firozpur, while wreckage of downed drones was found near the Attari border.
With the situation still tense, security forces remain on high alert, and the Indian government has lodged a formal protest with Pakistan, urging calm while monitoring developments closely.
Responding to Pakistan’s attack, India launched armed drones at four air defence sites in Pakistan; one drone destroyed an AD radar system, the Indian military said in a joint press conference by the military and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the Pakistani side targeted places of worship with a particular design; it is a new low even for Pakistan.
Indian armed forces responded proportionately and adequately to Pakistan’s attempts to target Indian installations on Thursday night, Misri said. He said Pakistan’s farcical denial of its attempts to target installations in India is another example of its duplicity.
Meanwhile, Airport Authority at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport in Amritsar, on Friday extended the suspension period for all types of flights till May 15. In a statement issued here, the Airport Authority said, “It is intimated to all concerned that suspension of all commercial/civil domestic and international flight operations from Amritsar Airport is further extended till 05.30 hrs on 15.05.202.
