Pakistan, in a dangerous escalation of tensions with India, used missiles and drones to attack military bases in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur late on Thursday evening.
All the bases are in proximity to the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The threats were swiftly neutralized by the Indian armed forces using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in line with the established standard operating procedures (SoPs). No casualties or material losses were reported. India remains fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people," stated an official release from the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Kinetic warfare involves the use of physical force, weapons etc to neutralize the enemy, including their infrastructure. Non-kinetic warfare involves cyber, electronic, information warfare besides use of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation etc to weaken the enemy’s morale, capabilities and decision-making capacity.
Following Pakistan’s escalation, many cities in J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, including Srinagar, Jammu, Poonch-Rajouri, Kupwara, Jaisalmer, Chandigarh, Mohali, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, were placed under a blackout. People in some places reported hearing loud explosions throughout the evening.
"We are under a blackout since 8pm. We heard some loud explosions in the city and the night sky lit up with explosions but no casualty has been reported so far. The government has asked people to stay indoors and schools have been shut down Wednesday," said a person in Jammu, who didn’t wish to be named.
Twenty five airports in North and western India were also temporarily shut.
In the Kashmir Valley, heavy cross border shelling following the use of drones was reported in forward areas.
A woman was killed and another injured in the shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC in north Kashmir's Uri sector. The deceased woman was identified as Nargis Begum. Another woman, Hafeeza, sustained injuries and has been hospitalised, officials confirmed.
"Pakistan is using drones to observe the areas, after which they resort to heavy shelling. They have been violating the ceasefire with heavy shelling at the LoC, which has claimed some civilian lives and their properties. The focus right now is to safeguard and defend Srinagar, which is under the enemy radar," said a source on condition of anonymity.
In Chandigarh, a blackout was imposed around 8pm on Thursday.
"Sirens were sounded and the blackout was imposed around 8pm. We are sitting in the dark and we don’t know how long the blackout will last. Many of us are conserving mobile phone charge for any emergency," said a retired professional from Chandigarh.
Also in Pathankot, shops were asked to shut down and people told to go home. Movement of army troops in border and sensitive areas is being reported in north and western India, even as villagers close to the LoC are being evacuated following the unprovoked shelling by Pakistan from across the LoC.
Earlier, on Thursday evening, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a joint press conference blasted Pakistan for escalating tensions with India and called the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, in which 25 Indian tourists and one Nepalese were gunned down by heavily armed terrorists, the "first escalation" and that India is responding in restrained manner.
The Resistance Front (TRF) – the frontal outfit of the proscribed terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for it. It later retracted the claim, but by then Pakistan had already exposed itself before the world community as the factory of jehadi terrorism.
Misri said that any further action by Pakistan is nothing but escalation and will be responded to and is being responded to appropriately. He reiterated that no Pakistani civilians were harmed under 'Operation Sindoor' and denied all claims by Pakistan related to civilian casualties.
In response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India had launched a midnight assault on nine terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) a little after midnight on May 7, in which 100 terrorists were neutralized, said the government.
The high-precision offensive was carried out with stealth and accuracy by the three services of the armed forces -- Army, Air Force and Navy.
(With inputs from Fayaz Wani in Srinagar)
