Latest news with #Kalra
Mint
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Operation Shield: Mock Drill in THESE states, UTs today
Civil defence exercises or mock drills are scheduled to be conducted across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chandigarh, and Jammu & Kashmir under 'Operation Shield' today, 31 May. These exercises were last conducted across the nation on 7 May amid India-Pakistan tensions along the borders. These drills are scheduled to be conducted across districts bordering Pakistan in these states and Union Territories today from 5:00 PM onwards, a government press release issued on 29 May said. The exercise aims at enhancing preparedness and awareness in regions located near the Line of Control,which are the most vulnerable to cross-border threats. Earlier, these mock drills were scheduled to be held in the bordering states and Union Territories on 29 May. However, they were rescheduled. The government press statement on 29 May said said that several shortcomings were observed in the previous exercise and this drill is a step to fill the critical gaps and 'augment the Civil Defence preparedness against the hostile attack.' "It is requested to plan and organize the Civil Defence Exercise "Operation Shield" on 31.05.2025 at 1700 Hrs onwards (the exact time may be suited as per local convenience) by involving all local administration and stakeholders. An action taken report in this regard may be shared with this directorate," the reelase said. The mock drill will involve 'Civil Defence Wardens/Volunteers stakeholders from local administration and youth volunteers like NCC, NSS NYKS, Bharat Scouts & Guides' in implementation of various Civil Defence measures against enemy aircraft, drones and missile attacks. During the civil defence preparedness activity, there will be 'Activation of Hotlines between Air Force and Civil Defence Control rooms (RCDCC/SCDCC/TCDCCs) and activation of Centrally controlled and operated Air Raid Sirens.' Besides this, complete blackout measures will be imposed in 'adjoining civilian VA/VPs, excluding emergency/critical services.' In Punjab, complete blackout measures would be implementedin adjoining civilian vulnerable areas and vulnerable points, excluding emergency and critical services and air raid sirens would be sounded, according to a government spokesperson. The drills will include sirens, blackouts, and emergency scenarios designed to test the readiness of local authorities and citizens in case of attacks or disasters. Punjab's Special Director General of Police, Sanjeev Kalra, said the exercise would involve all districts and simulate large-scale emergency situations starting at 6 pm. Kalra said, "The mock drill is a part of Operation Shield and is being conducted in all districts of the bordering states on the Western border. The mock drill will be conducted by 6 pm, " he said. The Haryana government said that it will conduct the mock drills across all 22 districts to enhance the state's emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Officials told news agency PTI said that the exercise will begin at 5pm and the drills will simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios. A controlled blackout of 15 minutes will be observed from 8 pm to 8.15 pm near vital installations in Haryana, with exception of essential emergency services such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations. Haryana Joint Secretary Sumita Mishra said that mock drills will begin at 5 pm. As many as 32,000 volunteers will take part in the exercise across the state. "The mock drill will be conducted throughout Haryana on 31st May. We will also be following the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)...The mock drill will prepare us for any future contingencies...32,000 volunteers will also participate in the mock are training and briefing these activities will be done after 5 pm," she said. The mock drill and blackout exercise under 'Operation Shield' are scheduled to be held across all 41 districts of Rajasthan as well today, according to news agency ANI. Similar mock drills were conducted nationwide on May 7, the same day India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror beds across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including one Nepalese national. The exercise aims at enhancing preparedness and awareness in regions located near the Line of Control.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Punjab, Haryana To Hold Security Drills Under 'Operation Shield' Tomorrow
Chandigarh: The states of Punjab and Haryana will carry out state-wide mock drills on Saturday under the nationwide exercise "Operation Shield", officials announced on Friday. The drills will include sirens, blackouts, and emergency scenarios designed to test the readiness of local authorities and citizens in case of attacks or disasters. Punjab's Special Director General of Police, Sanjeev Kalra, said the exercise would involve all districts and simulate large-scale emergency situations starting at 6 pm. Kalra said, "The mock drill is a part of Operation Shield and is being conducted in all districts of the bordering states on the Western border. The mock drill will be conducted by 6 pm tomorrow. " He added that a detailed meeting had already been held with the district administrations to prepare for the exercise. As part of the drill, sirens will be sounded and blackouts will be enforced to mimic real-life emergency conditions. "Blackout measures, rescue measures, fire services are a part of the mock representatives of the armed forces will also be involved in it," Kalra told ANI. In neighbouring Haryana, similar preparations are being made. Haryana Joint Secretary Sunita Mishra said that mock drills will begin at 5 pm on Saturday and follow guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). A total of 32,000 volunteers will take part across the state. "The mock drill will be conducted throughout Haryana on 31st May. We will also be following the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)...The mock drill will prepare us for any future contingencies...32,000 volunteers will also participate in the mock are training and briefing these activities will be done after 5 pm," she said. Earlier, the civil defence mock drill, scheduled for May 29, has been postponed due to administrative reasons. However, the dates for the same are yet to be announced. A statement released by the Gujarat Information Department read, "It is hereby intimated that the Civil Defence Exercise 'Operation Shield', which was planned to be held on May 29, 2025, is hereby postponed due to administrative reasons. It is requested that necessary directions to all the Controllers of Civil Defence and other stakeholders may be issued accordingly. Next dates for the exercise shall be issued subsequently." Additionally, the civil defence exercise has also been postponed in Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Earlier on Wednesday, as per the orders from the Government of India and under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a civil defence exercise was scheduled to be conducted in Gujarat on Thursday at 5:00 PM. Regarding the Operation Shield mock drill, Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department (Gujarat), Jayanti Ravi, on Wednesday, virtually reviewed preparations made by the district administration. Along with this, she also gave necessary instructions to all the District Collectors for the successful implementation of a mock drill. Further, Jayanti Ravi said that during this exercise, various actions like ensuring the readiness of the local administration regarding civil security; taking the services of young volunteers like NCC, NSS, Bharat Scout and Guide; setting up a hotline between the Air Force and the Civil Security Control Room regarding enemy aircraft and missile attacks; activating the air raid siren; ensuring complete darkness and ensuring public safety and their property will be taken. Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including one Nepalese national.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Rajasthan To Hold Blackout, Security Drill On May 31
Jaisalmer: Rajasthan will carry out state-wide mock drills on Saturday under the nationwide exercise "Operation Shield", officials announced on Friday. A mock drill and blackout exercise under 'Operation Shield' was scheduled to be held across all 41 districts of Rajasthan, including Jaisalmer, to prepare for emergency response in case of an airstrike or wartime situation. Ahead of the operation, the district administration in Jaisalmer completed all necessary preparations, and Civil Defense teams conducted practice sessions under the supervision of trained officers. According to official sources, the mock drill will begin at 5:00 PM, although the exact location in Jaisalmer district has been kept confidential for security purposes. The exercise, mandated by the Rajasthan Home Department, aimed to test readiness for air attack scenarios, assess security protocols, and enhance emergency coordination among defense and administrative personnel. "We are being trained under the leadership of experienced officers. Along with the mock drill, we are always ready to deal with emergency situations," said a Civil Defense personnel during a briefing. As part of preparations in Jaisalmer, six locations were selected for airstrike warning sirens, and a total of 72 Civil Defense personnel were deployed for the operation. These sirens were to be used during the blackout phase to simulate an air attack environment. It is important to note that a similar drill was conducted earlier on May 7 on Shiv Road in Jaisalmer, where sirens were used to warn residents of mock airstrikes as part of public awareness and preparedness. Earlier in the day, the states of Punjab and Haryana will carry out state-wide mock drills on Saturday under the nationwide exercise "Operation Shield", officials announced on Friday. The drills will include sirens, blackouts, and emergency scenarios designed to test the readiness of local authorities and citizens in case of attacks or disasters. Punjab's Special Director General of Police, Sanjeev Kalra, said the exercise would involve all districts and simulate large-scale emergency situations starting at 6 pm. Mr Kalra said, "The mock drill is a part of Operation Shield and is being conducted in all districts of the bordering states on the Western border. The mock drill will be conducted by 6 pm tomorrow. " He added that a detailed meeting had already been held with the district administrations to prepare for the exercise. As part of the drill, sirens will be sounded and blackouts will be enforced to mimic real-life emergency conditions. "Blackout measures, rescue measures, fire services are a part of the mock representatives of the armed forces will also be involved in it," Mr Kalra.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Punjab, Haryana to conduct mock drills under 'Operation Shield' tomorrow
Chandigarh [India], May 30 (ANI): The states of Punjab and Haryana will carry out state-wide mock drills on Saturday under the nationwide exercise 'Operation Shield', officials announced on Friday. The drills will include sirens, blackouts, and emergency scenarios designed to test the readiness of local authorities and citizens in case of attacks or disasters. Punjab's Special Director General of Police, Sanjeev Kalra, said the exercise would involve all districts and simulate large-scale emergency situations starting at 6 pm. Kalra said, 'The mock drill is a part of Operation Shield and is being conducted in all districts of the bordering states on the Western border. The mock drill will be conducted by 6 pm tomorrow. ' He added that a detailed meeting had already been held with the district administrations to prepare for the exercise. As part of the drill, sirens will be sounded and blackouts will be enforced to mimic real-life emergency conditions. 'Blackout measures, rescue measures, fire services are a part of the mock representatives of the armed forces will also be involved in it,' Kalra told ANI. In neighbouring Haryana, similar preparations are being made. Haryana Joint Secretary Sunita Mishra said that mock drills will begin at 5 pm on Saturday and follow guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). A total of 32,000 volunteers will take part across the state.'The mock drill will be conducted throughout Haryana on 31st May. We will also be following the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)...The mock drill will prepare us for any future contingencies...32,000 volunteers will also participate in the mock are training and briefing these activities will be done after 5 pm,' she said. Earlier, the civil defence mock drill, scheduled for May 29, has been postponed due to administrative reasons. However, the dates for the same are yet to be announced. A statement released by the Gujarat Information Department read, 'It is hereby intimated that the Civil Defence Exercise 'Operation Shield', which was planned to be held on May 29, 2025, is hereby postponed due to administrative reasons. It is requested that necessary directions to all the Controllers of Civil Defence and other stakeholders may be issued accordingly. Next dates for the exercise shall be issued subsequently.' Additionally, the civil defence exercise has also been postponed in Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Earlier on Wednesday, as per the orders from the Government of India and under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a civil defence exercise was scheduled to be conducted in Gujarat on Thursday at 5:00 PM. Regarding the Operation Shield mock drill, Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department (Gujarat), Jayanti Ravi, on Wednesday, virtually reviewed preparations made by the district administration. Along with this, she also gave necessary instructions to all the District Collectors for the successful implementation of a mock drill. Further, Jayanti Ravi said that during this exercise, various actions like ensuring the readiness of the local administration regarding civil security; taking the services of young volunteers like NCC, NSS, Bharat Scout and Guide; setting up a hotline between the Air Force and the Civil Security Control Room regarding enemy aircraft and missile attacks; activating the air raid siren; ensuring complete darkness and ensuring public safety and their property will be taken. Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including one Nepalese national. (ANI)
Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
As Afghanistan warmed up to India in the late 1940s, strains with Pakistan began to emerge
In November 1949, India's ambassador to Afghanistan sent a letter to the foreign secretary, celebrating the positive shifts in the chilly relations between the two nations. 'As you are aware, the Indian consulates both at Kandahar and Jalalabad have started functioning,' Ambassador Rup Chand wrote. 'I have received reports from the respective Vice-Consuls and it is apparent that the prestige of India has gone high in the eyes of Afghans.' The thaw in the relations began after India became free. Until then, many Afghans had viewed India with hostility owing to the participation of British-Indian forces in the three Anglo-Afghan Wars. In the second of these conflicts, lasting from 1878 to 1880, Afghanistan lost control of the Khyber Pass and many Pashtun areas, which were handed to undivided India. India's independence and partition changed two things. It dehyphenated India from Britain. And it transferred the areas seized in the Second Anglo-Afghan War from India to Pakistan, changing the object of Afghans' animosity. So bitter were Afghans over Pakistan's control of the North West Frontier Province, which is dominated by Pathans, that they tried to keep the country out of the United Nations. 'Afghanistan cast the only vote against Pakistan's admission to the United Nations and Pakistan's leaders are inclined to couple this unfriendly act with Russia's coldness,' The New York Times reported on October 13, 1947. 'Afghanistan also has been bold in advancing her claim to Northwest frontier territories on the ground that Pathans inhabiting these areas on Afghanistan's border are racial brothers of Afghans.' India's ambassador in Kabul told the vice-consuls in Jalalabad and Kandahar, Narendra Nath and Ram Chand Kalra, to closely monitor Afghanistan's ambitions for the North West Frontier Province. Following the direction, both diplomats dispatched regular reports covering socio-economic and political issues, including the ways Afghans perceived India and Indians. American involvement To read their despatches today is to see the historic roots of some of the contemporary events in South Asia. In his letters, for instance, Kalra observed the growing American interest in Afghanistan. Kandahar at the time had a small American community, consisting mainly of employees of the civil engineering company Morrison-Knudsen. 'They are making roads, dams and other public works,' Kalra wrote. 'This is not exactly known on what terms they are working. It is said they charge a certain percentage over and above the actual expenditure and then the Afghan Government shares a certain portion of the net profit which the company gets in the long run.' Kalra picked up on a possible link between the American activities in Afghanistan and the Cold War. 'There is a fairly good deal of rumour going round that the object of the Americans is not just commercial but they have political ends in view, i.e. the Americans want to know the strategic points from the military point of view which should stand them in good stead in the event of war with Russia,' he wrote. 'Some go to the length of saying that U.S.A. are financing the Afghan Government for these projects and that there is some understanding on the part of U.S.A. of advancing Afghanistan some loan.' Kalra said it was 'difficult to get at the truth but one thing is certain that the Americans want to increase their influence in Afghanistan vis-a-vis the other countries, especially their greatest rival, Russia'. Kalra's reports suggested that Americans had a friendly attitude towards Indians. They seemed to be genuinely happy, he said, when Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went on his first visit to the United States. Trade barrier Not just the Americans, in Kalra's telling, Afghans too were pleased with Indians. When independent India's first diplomatic mission opened in Kandahar, locals welcomed it. 'The Afghans expressed great pleasure on the opening of our Consulate when they came to attend the party given on the 1st instant,' he wrote in an October 1949 report. 'The function was well attended. The Americans with their ladies added to the elegance of the show.' In the same report, Kalra said Afghans had hopes from India. 'While the top Government officials eulogise the Indian Government and its officers, the middle class is looking to India for rendering them some good in the field of trade whereby the living conditions of Afghan masses would be ameliorated.' One of the major obstacles to increased trade between the two countries was Pakistan. The military commander of Kandahar told Kalra that Pakistan was not letting Afghan traders send goods to India through its territory. 'The smoothness of trade prevailing in the pre-partition days has been disturbed,' Kalra wrote. 'The difficulties according to some of the traders, I have seen, are manifold. In the first place they have to spend time and money in getting a permit from Karachi.' Next, the authorities in Karachi tried to convince Afghans to sell their products to Pakistani middlemen, who wanted to monopolise trade from Afghanistan to India. 'The other main difficulty is that the consignments between Afghanistan and India in the names of Hindu traders are often tampered with on the way and the latter have to get them booked in the name of other fictitious traders,' Kalra wrote. Trade between the countries was also affected by the devaluation of the Indian rupee. Pakistan, which refused to do the same to its currency, created what Kalra called 'anxieties' and 'misunderstandings' through the rumour mill in Kandahar. 'The reported devaluation of Indian currency along with the anti-India propaganda gave impetus to trading with Pakistan,' Kalra said, adding however that this was a temporary phenomenon. A month after India devalued the rupee, Afghanistan followed suit and trade once again picked up. Secessionist sentiment Under King Mohammed Zahir Shah, Afghanistan became a supporter of the right to self-determination of Pashtun people. When Pakistan put Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who had made the demand for Pashtunistan, under house arrest, there were protests in parts of Afghanistan. Kalra kept track of rallies and statements from Afghan leaders in support of the self-determination movement. 'The Pashtunistan issue continues to dominate the political sphere and the movement had made further headway in the fortnight under report,' he wrote. 'A big Jirga of Khanzadgan, Safi and Shinwaris was held at Sheikh Baba Ziarat, in which Mohd. Shueb Jan, after hoisting the Pashtun national flag, delivered a speech on the unscrupulous treatment of Pakistan and their determination to achieve liberation from their domination at all costs.' This was the time Pakistan began accusing the Indian government of fanning the demand for Pashtunistan. While the correspondence between Indian diplomats in Afghanistan in 1949 seems to suggest that New Delhi was merely observing the situation, it is true that there was support for the cause among ordinary Pashtuns in India. 'The Pathans of Ahmedabad in India held a meeting under Maulana Mohd. Akbar in which all the participants expressed their readiness to do their utmost for the attainment of Azad Pashtunistan,' Kalra wrote in a December 1949 report. 'They also decided to request all the other countries to recognise Azad Pashtunistan. This progress has naturally perturbed the Pakistani authorities.' A similar meeting was held by Indian Pashtuns at the historic Fatehpuri Mosque in Old Delhi, where it was decided to garner support for the Pashtunistan movement. Pakistan used the news of these gatherings to step up claims that India was actively supporting the Pashtunistan movement. In its information campaign, a despatch says, Pakistan also spread the rumour that an official named Meher Chand was recruiting for the Indian Army in Afghanistan's border areas with the North West Frontier Province. 'It appears Pakistan will now step up its anti Indo-Afghan propaganda drive in an attempt to turn the Muslim world against Afghanistan for having this friendship with India,' Kalra wrote. At this tense moment, Indian diplomats in Kandahar, Jalalabad and Kabul looked for signs of military build-ups to see whether Afghanistan would use force to settle the Pashtunistan question. The situation was particularly tense in January 1950 when Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged strong words. 'Mutual recrimination has almost become an obsession, each calling the other not only undemocratic but also unislamic,' Kalra wrote. The vice consul added that 'while Pakistan's mainstay is their criticism of Afghans' economic structure and autocratic rule, the Afghans find fault with Pakistan's policy of putting several thousand innocent Pashtuns in jail for their only fault of demanding independent Pashtunistan. In this cold war, there is naturally an influx of wrong and fabricated news items.' In 1950, Afghanistan was not really in a position to wage a war against Pakistan. So instead it gave moral support to the Pashtunistan cause, with regular radio broadcasts in Pashto, Urdu and Dari calling for self-determination for those living east of the Khyber Pass. 'Some little hope for reconciliation, which Pakistan cherished on grounds of religion, is gone and the gulf has grown too wide to be easily bridged,' Kalra said. He added that Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan's statement that the country 'would not surrender an inch of land east of the Durrand line,' did not go down well in Afghanistan. Friendship treaty While the ties between Kabul and Karachi were in a freefall, Afghanistan's relationship with India continued to thrive. On January 4, 1950, the two signed a five-year friendship treaty, mutually recognising each other's independence, agreeing to build cultural relations, and furthering cooperation in industry and agriculture. 'The news was received by the Afghan masses with joy and enthusiasm, but has aroused jealousy and suspicion in Pakistani circles,' Kalra wrote. Soon after the treaty was signed, a radio telegraph service between India and Afghanistan became operational, with their ministers of communication exchanging messages. A few weeks later, when India became a republic on January 26, 1950, Afghanistan welcomed the event, with Prime Minister Shah Mahmud Khan sending a congratulatory telegram to Nehru and Kabul Radio broadcasting a special programme. The next day, a celebration was held in Kandahar for the upper classes and important traders. 'Sentiments of pleasure were expressed by one and all on the auspicious occasion,' Kalra observed. A daily newspaper, Talu-i-Afghan, marked the event with a front page editorial headlined 'India Becomes Republic' that read: 'We have sanguine hopes that the new constitution, which is based on equality and unity will give 32 crores of people of all religions- Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian etc., equal rights, and as is clear from the lives of their leaders, everyone will have rights of all kinds of freedom.' The editorial said that 'India has the right type of leaders like Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Abdul Kalam Azad, Sardar Patel and others, it has also vast resources and in a short span of its independent life it has succeeded in creating friendly relations with all the Islamic countries of the East'. These sentiments guided the India-Afghanistan relationship, keeping them strong and friendly, until the 1970s, when Afghanistan became a major Cold War flashpoint between the United States and the Soviet Union.
