Latest news with #OperationSindoor
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Are civil defence mock drills being held in border states today? Officials share updates
Operation Shield, a civil defence mock drill scheduled for Thursday across several border states and Union Territories, has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The drill, aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness amid ongoing tensions with Pakistan, was to simulate responses to hostile attacks including drone strikes and air raids. States including Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab, as well as the Union Territory of Chandigarh, officially announced the postponement of the exercise late Wednesday evening. According to officials, the decision was taken due to "administrative reasons," though no further details were immediately provided. An official statement from the Haryana Home Department confirmed the postponement, stating, 'According to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Haryana Home Department announced the postponement of the comprehensive civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, which was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday.' All deputy commissioners and relevant stakeholders were notified accordingly. Chandigarh's administration echoed the announcement, clarifying that there would be 'no blackout or mock drill' on Thursday, attributing the decision to instructions from the Government of India. Operation Shield was initially planned to be conducted across all 22 districts of Haryana between 5 pm and 9 pm, involving full-scale simulation of wartime scenarios such as air raids and drone attacks. The exercise was designed to test evacuation protocols, activate air raid sirens, and mobilize medical and emergency response teams. Rajasthan, which had also planned a comprehensive mock drill in all its 41 districts, issued a similar order for postponement. According to a statement from the state's Home Department, a new date for the drill will be announced soon. Preparations for drills, including siren activation and special arrangements in border districts like Jaisalmer and Barmer, had already begun when the directive from the Centre arrived. Punjab took a different approach, proactively requesting a rescheduling of the exercise due to its civil defence staff currently undergoing training with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The Centre accepted Punjab's proposal to conduct the drill on June 3, and deputy commissioners have been informed of the revised date. This is the second time such mock drills are being held this year. The first were held in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a military campaign launched on May 7 by Indian forces targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The campaign was a direct response to the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed. In the days following Operation Sindoor, retaliatory shelling and drone incursions by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control and international border heightened national security concerns. This prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to instruct vulnerable states and UTs along the western border to bolster their civil defence readiness. New dates for Operation Shield in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh are expected to be announced shortly. Meanwhile, Punjab will proceed with its drill on June 3.
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Amit Shah to arrive in Jammu today, first visit after Operation Sindoor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arriving in Jammu on Thursday evening for a two-day visit to J&K, the first after Operation Sindoor. During his visit, Amit Shah will address the BSF jawans at their Unit Headquarters at Khanetar and meet the families affected by Pakistan shelling at Dak Bungalow in Poonch on May 30. He will also distribute appointment letters to the next of kin of those killed in the shelling. Officials said the Union Home Minister will visit religious places targeted by Pakistani cross-border shelling. He will reach here in the evening and will hold a high-level review of the security situation with Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and top officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the army, paramilitary forces, police, intelligence agencies and civil administration. The situation during ongoing Operation Sindoor, besides the security scenario, including anti-terror operations and anti-infiltration grid, will also come up for high-level review at the meeting. Amarnath Yatra arrangements will also figure prominently during the security review meeting. On Friday, Amit Shah will leave for the border district of Poonch where he is scheduled to address the BSF jawans as well as civilians badly affected by Pakistan shelling on the intervening night of May 7 and 8 soon after Indian Armed Forces targeted nine terror infrastructures deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Amit Shah will address the civilians affected by Pakistan's shelling at Poonch Dak Bungalow and the BSF soldiers at their Unit Headquarters at Khanetar, about nine kilometres from Poonch town. Thirteen civilians, including four children, two of them siblings, were killed by Pakistan's shelling in Poonch district. In retaliation for Indian armed forces carrying out precision-guided targeted strikes on terror infrastructure, the Pakistan Army targeted civilian facilities in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts. Indian response was promoted by the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in which 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, were killed after segregating them on the basis of religion.
News18
29 minutes ago
- Politics
- News18
'India Will Not Turn The Other Cheek': Shashi Tharoor Reaffirms Firm Stance Against Terrorism
Last Updated: Shashi Tharoor reaffirmed that India will firmly respond to any future terrorist attacks by Pakistan, rejecting any notion of turning the other cheek. Reaffirming India's stance against terrorism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said India will not turn the other cheek and will respond to any further attacks by Pakistan. Referencing his remark, Tharoor also emphasised the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi to live without fear. The Congress MP, leading a multi-party delegation to Panama, was speaking at an event organised by the Indian Embassy in the city. 'He (Mahatma Gandhi) also taught us in his brave leadership in our struggle for freedom that we must always stand up for our rights," Shashi Tharoor said. 'We must always stand up in principle for the values we believe in, and we must live without fear that freedom from fear is what we in India have to fight for these days against the evil attacks of malign men who are called by the world as terrorists, but who believe that by doing this kind of thing of coming into our country, killing innocent people and going off again that they will somehow achieve some larger political or religious cause," he added. 'That is not something that any self-respecting country will give in to, and even the land of Mahatma Gandhi will not turn the other cheek when this happens, we will respond," Tharoor added. Speaking at the event, the Congress MP also slammed the Pakistan Army for a funeral for terrorists killed during India's 'Operation Sindoor'. 'When we struck their terror headquarters, we took some lives, and of course, a funeral was conducted. There were some very prominent people at that funeral. There was at least one individual whose name had been listed by the United Nations Sanctions Committee. It was people in uniform from the highest threat echelons of the Pakistani Army and police mourning at the funeral of designated terrorists," Tharoor said. 'This is the country that now says we are innocent. We did not do it. You do not mourn for people you do not know," the Congress MP said. Also speaking on the Pahalgam attack, Shashi Tharoor said the motive behind the terror attack was to undermine India and to undermine the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. 'This terrorist action was in pursuance of a cynical set of objectives that sadly only the Pakistani military seems to want to pursue to undermine our country, to undermine the Kashmiri economy, which was booming with tourism," he said. 'I was told by my friend, the Indian Ambassador to Washington, that there were more tourists in this place in Kashmir in Pahalgam than in Aspen, Colorado," Tharoor said. On Wednesday, the Tharoor-led delegation met the President of the Republic of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino, at the Presidential house. The delegation led by Tharoor includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora. First Published: May 29, 2025, 08:35 IST
The Print
29 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Print
Civil defence exercise postponed in Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh; Punjab schedules it for June 3
'According to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Haryana Home Department announced the postponement of the comprehensive civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, which was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday,' an official statement said. The Haryana government on Wednesday evening said the civil defence exercise – Operation Shield – scheduled for Thursday stood postponed following the Union Home Ministry's directions. New Delhi, May 28 (PTI) After the government decided to carry out a civil defence exercise on Thursday in states and Union Territories adjoining the western border, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab on Wednesday postponed the scheduled mock drill. All the deputy commissioners and other stakeholders have been informed about this, the statement said. The Chandigarh administration also announced postponement of the civil defence exercise. A statement issued by the UT administration on Wednesday evening said, 'As per the directions received from the Government of India, it is hereby informed that the civil defence exercise Operation Shield, which was planned for May 29, is hereby postponed due to administrative reasons. There will be no blackout or mock drill tomorrow.' Earlier in the day, the Haryana government issued a statement, which said a mock drill was scheduled to take place across all the 22 districts of the state between 5 pm and 9 pm on Thursday to strengthen emergency preparedness. The mock drill has also been postponed in Rajasthan, where it was scheduled to be held across all the districts on Thursday, officials said. According to an official statement, the civil defence exercise has been postponed due to administrative reasons and a new date will be announced soon. Earlier, the civil defence department issued guidelines for conducting a blackout and mock drill in all the 41 districts of the state on Thursday evening. The Punjab government, meanwhile, wrote to the Centre on Wednesday, proposing June 3 as the date for carrying out the mock drill, citing that their civil defence staff were undergoing training being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). A senior Punjab Police officer said the Centre accepted the state government's request for holding the drill on June 3. The deputy commissioners in Punjab have been told that the civil defence exercise will take place in all districts on June 3. Earlier, the Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards conveyed that the civil defence exercise – Operation Shield – will be carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh. Responding to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalagam in which 26 people were killed, Operation Sindoor was carried out by India on May 7 through which the defence forces targeted terror camps at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Later, some Pakistani military bases were also targeted by India in retaliatory action during four days of skirmishes with the neighbouring country between May 7 and 10. Pakistani forces resorted to heavy shelling along the border and LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and also tried to attack some other places along the International Border in the western sector with drones and missiles. The Directorate, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said during the first civil defence exercise held on May 7, critical gaps in the civil defence preparedness of the vulnerable areas of the country were observed. Instructions to take necessary actions to suitably address the issues were issued on May 9. Accordingly, emergency powers were invoked and funding arrangements through the State Disaster Response Force were also made. To augment the civil defence preparedness against any hostile attack, Operation Shield has been planned in all the districts of states and UTs adjoining the western border. During the exercise, there will be activation of centrally controlled and operated air raid sirens, and complete blackout measures adjoining civilian areas among others, sources said. According to the plan, during the mock drills, evacuation of the families of one of the military stations will be practised in case of drone attacks. The deployment of medical teams and the transportation of blood units, among others, will also be done, according to the plan. PTI CHS SUN AG ACB ARI This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
29 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Print
Huma Qureshi attends tourism event in Jammu, praises forces for Operation Sindoor
The beating retreat ceremony was restarted last week after remaining suspended during the India-Pakistan military conflict that followed the April 22 terror attack in which 26 persons, mostly tourists, died in Pahalgam. Qureshi attended the cultural event organised by the tourism department in collaboration with BSF at Octroi which is famous for 'Wagah-style' ceremony comprising a structured beating retreat ceremony by BSF men in the weekends. This was started in October 2021 as part of government's push for border tourism in Jammu region. Suchetgarh (J-K), May 28 (PTI) Actor Huma Qureshi praised Army and Border Security Force (BSF) for their role in Operation Sindoor and for protecting the borders of the country during a programme held here along the Indo-Pakistan border here in the outskirts of Jammu. Amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', Qureshi interacted with the border guards, including its women personnel, who were on the forefront during Operation Sindoor to counter cross-border shelling and drone attacks by Pakistan along the International Border and the Line of Control. Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructures early on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases and resorted to mortal shelling. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side. On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect. Qureshi also interacted with the civilian families affected by the Pakistani mortar and artillery firing in the border villages in Jammu and lauded their courage. 'Thank you for giving me a chance to come here today and interact with our soldiers, especially the women troopers who are guarding our borders round-the-clock without caring for their lives. I realized once again how lucky we are that you are protecting our borders,' the actor said. Qureshi said the soil beneath her feet was a 'symbol of bravery and sacrifice' of the Indian soldiers who are protecting the country. 'It is because of your bravery that peace has been established on our borders. I am thankful to the BSF and the army,' she said. Reminding the gathering of her special relationship with Jammu and Kashmir as her mother is from the Valley, she said she considers Jammu and Kashmir as her home. 'Whatever happened recently makes us understand the importance of your role for the country. Jammu and Kashmir is the backbone of India and is standing strong and united, depicting your courage and sacrifice. I salute you and your families from the core of my heart,' she said. Highlighting that J-K is truly a paradise on earth with every place like Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Shiv Khori, Patni Top and Bhaderwah having its own story connected to faith and beauty. 'I just want to tell you that do not let fear become the identity of Jammu and Kashmir. Let the world see peace, strength and love that truly defines the people of the region,' she said. 'Today we are all standing together with pride and hope and this is the spirit of Jammu and Kashmir and the spirit of India.' In an emotional appeal, she asked the people planning to visit J-K to go ahead to enjoy the beauty of the region. 'Please do not let hate win. Come to Jammu and Kashmir, come as travellers and go back as believers,' she said. PTI SBL/TAS TAS SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
