TOI's Jaisalmer reporter recounts Pakistan drone horror
JAISALMER: Peace was what I wanted to pray for when I was looking to join my family Thursday at Chundhi GaneshTemple, 12km from Jaisalmer. Not long after that, though, I was caught in a crossfire - of blasts, gunfire and chaos.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Anything but peace.
That was how the evening unfolded for me in this Rajasthan border city, engulfed in terror of Pakistani drone attacks near the high-security Pokhran area.
My family was already at the temple, having gone there around 7pm. I set out to join them later and had just reached Hanuman Chowk, some distance from my home, around 9pm when I was halted by a hail of deafening blasts overhead, followed by the unmistakable rat-a-tat of gunfire.
I pulled over and looked skyward, my heart pounding as multiple explosions shattered the air. Our anti-drone defence systems sprang into action, their rapid fire piercing the darkness as they attempted to neutralise the threats.
My thoughts turned to my family. Matters got worse as I learned my son Harshad was on a bus to Jaipur, now caught in the middle of the crisis.
Word about the drones spread like wildfire. So did panic.
Youths took positions at major intersections, forcing vehicles to turn off lights and threatening those who didn't comply with sticks. Their actions, though aggressive, were driven by the need to protect the city from Pakistani projectiles. The next few hours were frenetic. My family left for home but faced renewed drone attacks around 10pm. This forced them to take shelter at Amarsagar Jain Temple.
Heavy rain added to their ordeal.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
When they tried to return again, they were stopped by police at Moomal Chowk, on the outskirts. This was a frustrating, but necessary, security drill. They later made their way to a restaurant where they waited till 1am (Friday) till it was safe to cover the rest of the way home.
In the meantime, I had my son get off the bus at Khetolai, 80km from Jaisalmer, and organised overnight accommodation for him in a village. It wasn't until 2am that my family made it home in Jaisalmer.
As a journalist, I am battle-hardened, having covered many challenging situations. But Thursday offered a reality check. My own family was in peril. The Pakistani fusillade has left me deeply shaken. This night will remain etched in memory.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Fear grips Punjab border districts after Operation Sindoor placed on hold
Amritsar: A month after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, fear still hangs heavy over Punjab's border villages, even though the govt claims the military action is now "on hold". Residents in the districts adjoining the Pakistan border report a lingering anxiety — rooted not just in the conflict itself but in its unresolved status. In villages near Attari and Tarn Taran, life remains suspended in caution. The spectre of Pakistani drones, which violated Indian airspace previously, continues to haunt daily routines. "Even though life is returning to normal slowly, there are still nights we can't sleep," said Dharmander Singh, a farmer near Attari. "Every unfamiliar sound makes me think a drone is approaching." That fear deepens at dusk, prompting many to stay indoors. "We used to hear of ceasefires in Jammu and Kashmir. Now it's our villages on edge," said Manjinder Singh of Naushehra Dhalla. While officials say the cross-border operation has been paused, locals say ambiguity has only heightened their sense of insecurity. "The govt says it's on hold. But what does that really mean for us?" asked Shivani Gupta of Amritsar. The Border Security Force (BSF) has permitted farmers to return to their fields beyond the border fence, with Kisan Guards accompanying them for protection. Yet many remain reluctant. "I have land to till, but every step feels like a risk," said Manjinder Singh. "Who will protect us if something happens?" Economic and diplomatic activity remains sluggish. The Kartarpur Corridor remains closed, trade with Afghanistan has yet to resume, and while Pakistan allowed a stranded Afghan truck to deliver goods into India recently, regular passenger traffic is still suspended. For Punjab's border residents, uncertainty — not gunfire — remains the most unsettling part of the aftermath. MSID:: 121675464 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
India Today
37 minutes ago
- India Today
'Spy' YouTuber reveals role of ex-Pak cop in espionage racket during grilling
Punjabi YouTuber Jasbir Singh, who was recently arrested on charges of espionage, revealed the involvement of a former Pakistani police officer in an ongoing espionage disclosed that Nasir Dhillon, a former sub-inspector of the Pakistan Police, was one of the masterminds behind the spying now a Pakistani YouTuber, is alleged to have introduced Jasbir to officers of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Jasbir also said that he and Jyoti Malhotra, another YouTuber arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, stayed together in Lahore for 10 days. During this period, Nasir Dhillon connected visiting Indian YouTubers in Pakistan with Danish - an ISI handler who worked at the Pakistan High Commission in is said to have assigned espionage-related tasks to the YouTubers and subsequently invited them to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi as agencies now suspect that hundreds of former Pakistan police personnel may be part of this espionage network, which specifically targets Indian a recent podcast, Nasir Dhillon was confronted with allegations about his links to the ISI. When asked whether he was accused of being an ISI agent, he responded with a laugh. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Talk With Turna (@talkwithturna)Jasbir Singh, who runs the channel "Jaan Mahal" with over 1.1 million subscribers, was arrested on Wednesday in a crackdown on the Pakistani spy network in India following Operation Sindoor. Sources revealed there was enough evidence to suggest that he was in constant connection with his Pakistani Watch IN THIS STORY#India-Pakistan#Operation Sindoor
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Should do all it can': Pakistan delegation gets earful; US lawmaker tells Bilawal Bhutto to eliminate Jaish-e-Mohammad
NEW DELHI: US Congressman Brad Sherman on Thursday made a pointed advise to a Pakistani delegation, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, that the country should "do all it can" to eliminate terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad from the region and ensure protection of religious minorities in the country. In a social media post on X, Sherman said that he emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism and, in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered Daniel Pearl in 2002. "I emphasized to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002," the Congressman said. "Pearl's family continues to live in my district, and Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region," he added. Daniel was kidnapped by jihadi terrorists in January 2002 while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani religious cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi. The US lawmaker also told the Pakistani delegation that the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan remains an important issue. "Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system.' Sherman further urged the Pakistani delegation to relay to their government the need to free Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama bin Laden. 'Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,' he said. Afridi is a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA run a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to collect DNA samples of bin Laden's family. Afridi was arrested by Pakistani authorities shortly after the American raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in May 2011. In 2012, a Pakistani court sentenced Afridi to 33 years in prison. The Pakistani delegation timed its visit to the US capital around the same time as a multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is in Washington DC. The all-party delegation is briefing key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's strong resolve to fight terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Bhutto also landed in the US at the same time as the Tharoor-led delegation. Bhutto met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with his delegation as well as Security Council Ambassadors in New York and later travelled to Washington in Pakistan's bid to internationalise the conflict with India as well as the Kashmir issue, but instead got instructed to deal with terrorism emanating from its soil.
