Editors pick newsletter India repels Pak. strikes for second day

The Hindu

10-05-2025

Blackout measures were put in place in several parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan on Friday as Pakistan continued to violate Indian airspace for the second consecutive day. Sirens blared and areas on the western border went dark as Indian armed forces used air defence mechanisms to thwart armed drone and missile attacks from Pakistan. Drones, including suspected armed ones, were sighted at 26 locations ranging from Baramulla in J&K to Bhuj in Gujarat, the Indian Army said. Pakistan attempted drone intrusions at 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek with approximately 300 to 400 drones on Thursday night, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said at a media briefing on Friday. Pakistan also attempted to target the Bhatinda military station with an armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which was 'detected and neutralised', she added. In response, Indian armed forces launched strikes on four air defence sites in Pakistan. An air defence radar was destroyed by one of them, Wing Commander Singh said. The drones were possibly of Turkish origin, likely to test Indian air defences, Wing Commander Singh said while accusing Pakistan of using civil airliners as a 'shield'.
An armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur in Punjab resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family, an Army official said. Citizens, especially in border areas, were advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. 'While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential,' the official said. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday evening urged people of Jammu to 'stay off the streets and stay at home', as blasts echoed in the city.
The Chief Minister said there were 'intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery'. On Thursday, hundreds of drones that swarmed Indian skies were shot down and late in the evening, the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an infiltration attempt along the border in the Samba sector of J&K, killing at least seven terrorists, an official said. One woman and two students were killed in J&K as Pakistan resorted to heavy calibre mortar shelling in villages along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday night and Friday morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting at his residence on Friday, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy chief Admiral D.K. Tripathi, and Tapan Kumar Deka, Director, Intelligence Bureau. Home Minister Amit Shah met chiefs of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as tensions heightened.
A sudden power outage plunged Jammu city into darkness following two loud explosions on Friday night, likely from the interception of intruding drones. Immediately after, sirens echoed throughout the city, alerting residents to seek shelter. Aerial objects had attempted to strike the strategic Jammu airport and its surrounding areas, which house Army, Air Force, and paramilitary installations. Locations including Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala were targeted by aerial objects on Friday. 'A shell fired from Pakistan landed just behind the Christ School, run by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, a congregation in Poonch. Tragically, the shell hit the home of two students of the school. Both unfortunately lost their lives and their parents were severely injured,' Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on the civilian deaths in J&K, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday. In an interview to The Hindu, he said that India's steadfast unity in itself is a challenge to Pakistan.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Mr. Abdullah and senior Minister Sakina Ittoo met victims of shelling in both Kashmir and Jammu. Residents said the intensity of shelling was higher than that witnessed during the 1999 Kargil war. India shares 3,323 km of its land border with Pakistan along the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda has directed all medical establishments to ensure that medical emergency response health systems are adequately equipped and functional at all times. Also, the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi and other Union government hospitals have been asked to mobilise doctors and nurses with supplies for ready deployment. At a high-level meeting on Friday, Mr. Nadda called for ensuring that ground-level linkages with all State governments particularly at the district levels, especially border States, be effectively established to ensure immediate emergency healthcare, if required. The BCCI suspended IPL due to the tension and will announce fresh dates for the cricket tournament later.
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