Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning to Pakistan that India will not tolerate terror in any form, reports of suspected Pakistan military drones hovering over Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba and Punjab’s Jalandhar districts emerged on Monday, May 12.
Visuals from the Samba district showed red trails in the sky and sounds of explosions, as India’s air defence system activated to intercept flying objects.
However, government officials have yet to confirm the timeline of the drone sightings.
Blackouts in border districts of Punjab
Following the development, a complete blackout was enforced, including Punjab’s Pathankot, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur districts. Electricity has also been switched off in some areas of Jalandhar, officials said.
Punjab shares a 553-kilometre border with Pakistan. An air-raid siren was sounded in Amritsar, which lies along the border.
“We are alert. We are enforcing a blackout,” Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said in a message and urged people to stay away from windows.
The Amritsar administration has urged citizens to remain calm. “We will notify you when the electricity supply is ready to be restored. Do not panic.”
In Hoshiarpur district, blackout measures were enforced in Dasuya and Mukerian.
A semblance of normalcy was observed in the border areas of Punjab, with markets teeming with people even though schools in some districts remained shut as a precautionary measure following the suspension of hostilities between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Jalandhar district collector Himanshu Aggarwal stated the blackout was a precautionary measure. In a statement, the officer said, “As a precautionary measure, lights have been switched off in some areas around Suranassi as there have been reports of some drone sightings. We are verifying them. There is no blackout as of now. There is nothing to worry as confirmed by officials of the Armed Forces. They are on regular vigil as always.”
Terror and talks cannot go together: PM Modi
In his first address to the nation soon after the ceasefire declaration by India and Pakistan, PM Modi said that diplomatic talks with the neighbouring country can only exist in the absence of terrorism.
“India’s stand is very clear. Terror and talks cannot go together, just like water and blood cannot flow together,” he said in his first address to the nation after Operation Sindoor, on Monday.
The prime minister termed the Pahalgam attack as the most “barbaric face of terrorism”, saying it was personal pain for him.
“Pahalgam attack was the most barbaric face of terrorism, it was a personal pain for me. We gave the armed forces full liberty to raze terrorists to dust. The enemy has now realised the consequences of removing ‘sindoor’ from the forehead of our women. Operation Sindoor was not just a name… on May 7, the whole world saw our resolve turn into action,” PM Modi said.
(With PTI inputs)
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