Punjab residents spend anxious night as lights go off amid Pak strikes

People in several districts of Punjab and Kashmir, including the key border areas of Amritsar, Pathankot and Ferozepur, spent an anxious night as authorities enforced a complete blackout amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan.

Blackouts were also enforced in districts such as Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, and Hoshiarpur.

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The authorities snapped power in Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana as well, for about two hours until midnight.

Power blackout in all districts of Kashmir was enforced after drone attacks were also reported over parts of Jammu and Rajasthan.

India thwarts drone attack

The move came as India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, after foiling its attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country using missiles and drones.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said there were no casualties or material losses and the threat was “neutralised” using kinetic and non-kinetic means. Kinetic options refer to use of missiles and other weapon systems, while non-kinetic refers to measures like jammers and anti-drone nets.

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The IAF also joined the defense by activating its Integrated Counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Grid and other air defence systems, including the S400 Triumf, Barak 8 MRSAM (medium range surface-to-air missile) and the indigenous Akash, helping set up an air defence umbrella that helped thwart the attacks.

Several Punjab districts targeted

According to the defence ministry, the Pakistani military on Thursday night attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj.

On Thursday night, the authorities in several Punjab districts appealed to people to switch off the lights and stay at home, insisting that there was no need to panic.

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Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal asked citizens to remain inside their homes and follow the blackout protocols.

The blackout was also enforced in Rupnagar, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Bathinda, Patiala and Haryana's Panchkula, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the citizens.

Educational institutions closed

The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals which was underway on Thursday evening at the Dharamshala Cricket stadium in Himachal Pradesh, was also stopped, and all players and spectators were evacuated safely.

The Punjab government has ordered all educational institutions to be closed for the next three days in view of the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. In Chandigarh, too, the authorities have shut all schools till Saturday.

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The renewed attempts by the Pakistani forces came after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’ in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Locals confident in Indian Army

Air raid warning sirens were activated in the border town where the blackout was enforced around 8:30 pm on Thursday.

Some locals said on Friday that though they were anxious over the developments, they were confident as India's armed forces were swiftly thwarting Pakistan's attempts.

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In the key border districts of Amritsar and Ferozepur, too, calm prevailed on Friday morning.

In Chandigarh, Baldev Chand, an elderly man who stuck to his routine morning walk on Friday, said while there were some anxious moments the previous night, there was nothing to worry given the way that the Indian Army was handling the security situation.

Amit Shah speaks to officials

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Director-Generals of CRPF, BSF and SSB to take stock of the situation, and India's next steps.

“To take an update on the current situation of border connecting areas, Shah has spoken with them and asked them to provide all assistance to the local police and administration to handle any sort of potential contingency. Shah also spoke to the head of CISF to take an update on the current status of airports,” an official said.