NEW DELHI, May 9: Pakistan again launched an attack on India with drones on Friday night. A swarm of drones from Pakistan was spotted in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Punjab on Friday evening, said sources in the Army, adding that they are being engaged amid rising escalation between India and Pakistan.
The Indian army intercepted Pakistani drones at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab’s Pathankot. The Indian Army said drones were sighted in Jammu, Samba, Rajouri, Udhampur, Nagrota, Reasi, Awantipora, Poonch, Akhnoor as well as Pathankot and Amritsar in Punjab.
According to officials, blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region as the city plunged into darkness for a second consecutive night. Loud explosions were heard in Pathankot and Ferozepur districts. Multiple explosions, including in Barmer and Pokhran, have also been heard in these regions, but there was no official confirmation on what caused the sounds, they said.
Pakistan on Thursday night launched a series of coordinated drone and missile attacks along India’s western border, targeting several regions. Defence officials said the attacks were intercepted by India’s air defence systems, including the S-400 missile defence system, preventing significant damage.
“On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani army violated Indian airspace several times over the entire western border to target military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani army also fired heavy-calibre weapons along the Line of Control. Around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations,” said the government.
“The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and collect intelligence. Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones…” the government added.
Jammu city plunged into darkness after blasts were heard and alarms sounded, officials said. The blasts come amid ongoing shelling by Pakistan. “Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. He also posted a picture of the city in darkness, captioning the post as, “Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city.”
“It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in & 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 & we will get through this together,” the Chief Minister added.
Officials said blackouts were enforced in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer, as well as in several areas of Punjab, including in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Bathinda, and Jalandhar. Air raid sirens were also sounded in these areas, they said. In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to local residents to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure, they added.
(Manas Dasgupta)
