Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on Friday evening as Pakistani drones were intercepted over Jammu, Samba, and Pathankot.
As blasts echoed, Jammu was plunged into darkness, with sirens blaring across the city. Red streaks lit the sky as India’s air defence intercepted Pakistani drones during a blackout in Nagrota.
Pakistani drones were also shot down in Rajasthan's Barmer, Pokhran, Jaisalmer, and Phalodi.
In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to warn locals to turn off their lights as a precautionary measure.
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The blasts occurred amid ongoing cross-border shelling by Pakistan, a response to India’s recent airstrikes on terrorist hideouts as part of Operation Sindoor.
“Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
He also shared an image of the city in darkness, captioning it, “Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city.”
In a separate post, he urged residents to avoid going out and to stay at home or in the nearest safe place for the next few hours, advising them to ignore any rumours.
{{/usCountry}}In a separate post, he urged residents to avoid going out and to stay at home or in the nearest safe place for the next few hours, advising them to ignore any rumours.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don’t spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories and we will get through this together.”
On Thursday, residents in several border districts of Punjab, including Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozepur, and Gurdaspur, spent a tense night as authorities enforced a complete blackout amidst the escalating situation.
Meanwhile, a bomb-like object was discovered in the Kishanghat area of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan on Friday morning, prompting swift action from local police and the air force. The object was found near a nursery in front of Kishanghat.
On Thursday night, India successfully thwarted Pakistan’s latest drone and missile strikes targeting military sites, following previous attempts to strike installations in 15 cities across northern and western India.
These renewed attempts by Pakistani forces came after Indian armed forces conducted precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan on Wednesday as part of Operation Sindoor, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.