IAF to hold major drill along Pakistan border in Rajasthan tomorrow
The drill will start at 9.30 pm on Wednesday and continue for 5.5 hours during which all flight operations at the airports close to the border will be suspended
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will be flexing its muscles on Wednesday (May 7) by conducting a major military drill in Rajasthan along the international border with Pakistan, said a Notice to Airmen issued on Tuesday (May 6), according to NDTV.
According to the NOTAM, the drill will start at 9.30 pm on Wednesday and continue for five and a half hours during which all flight operations at the airports close to the border will be suspended.
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The development comes amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.
Civil defence drills
The military drill will be taking place alongside civil defence drills in the country on Wednesday. This will be the first time since the 1971 war with Pakistan that such civil defence drills will be conducted. The civil defence drills will be carried out in 300 locations in the country, in vulnerable areas near the international borders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly provided “full operational freedom” to the military in determining response to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. He has held multiple meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs since the Pahalgam attack.