Several states asked to conduct drills on May 7 for defence preparedness in event of hostile attack: Government sources

The Centre has asked several states to conduct security mock drills on Wednesday, May 7, for “effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack” amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

The timing of the Centre’s order is crucial. The last such drill was conducted in 1971, the year in which India and Pakistan went to war on two fronts.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked states to take the following measures:

• Operationalisation of Air Raid Warning Sirens
• Training of civilians, students, etc., on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.
• Provision of crash blackout measures.
• Provision for early camouflaging of vital plants/installations
• Updation of the evacuation plan and its rehearsal.

After the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were shot down by terrorists with links to Pakistan, there seems to be no sign of a de-escalation along the border.

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Pakistan, for 11 consecutive nights, has fired on Indian posts along the Line of Control. India has strongly responded to Islamabad’s repeated cross-border firing.

In Punjab’s Ferozepur, lights were switched off in the cantonment area from 9 to 9:30 pm yesterday. The officer asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) to cut electricity at the exercise’s scheduled time.

“You are requested to ensure adequate security arrangements during this period, given the total blackout,” the Cantonment Board officer said in a letter.

“This rehearsal aims to ensure preparedness and effectiveness in implementing blackout procedures during prevailing war threats,” the officer said.

PM Meets Top Defence Official

India has vowed to take vengeance for the worst-ever attack in Jammu and Kashmir since Pulwama in 2019. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh amid speculation over how New Delhi would respond to the attack.  The meeting lasted for more than half an hour. This meeting comes a day after the Prime Minister met Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. The Prime Minister has by now met the chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force. 

The Prime Minister has warned that those involved in carrying out and plotting the terror attack will get a punishment they cannot imagine, a sentiment echoed by leaders across the political spectrum.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, yesterday, assured the nation that “what you desire will certainly happen”, dropping a broad hint about India’s next move.

India, so far, has taken several diplomatic measures against Pakistan, including, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a move that was not witnessed even during the 1965, 1971 wars and the 1999 Kargil conflict. The diplomatic staff of Pakistan’s missions in India has been downsized.

Pakistan has responded that any move to stop water flow would be seen as an act of war and threatened to suspend all bilateral pacts, including the Simla Agreement, that violate the Line of Control (LoC).

Should Pakistan suspend the Simla Agreement, it will put a question on the validity of the Line of Control. For the last 11 days, Pakistan has repeatedly violated the 2003 Ceasefire agreement, which was aimed at ceasing repeated firing along the LoC and easing tensions.