Indo-Pak tension: Pitch-black night, wail of sirens keep locals on western front awake in fear

It was a second straight night of darkness and fear for locals of several districts on India's western border as sirens wailed on Friday upon spotting of aerial threats from Pakistan that were effectively engaged by the armed forces.

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From Srinagar and Jammu to Punjab's multiple districts and Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, a vast stretch of the border areas plunged into darkness with public announcements made, urging people to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.

Blasts were heard in the Jammu region and south Kashmir as well as in Pathankot, Ferozepur and Jaisalmer. Residents in Punjab's Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran's Patti area, too, reported sound of explosions, although there was no official confirmation on its cause.

Air raid sirens blared in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur districts, sending people into a tizzy. Officials said a blackout was enforced in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka, Muktsar and Sangrur.

It was the second consecutive night of blackout amid the sound of blasts for Pathankot residents.

"Keep lights switched off. Keep the lights of mobile phones, cameras and inverter sets switched off. Cover windows with curtains. Cooperate with the district administration. We are here for your safety," an official announcement was sounded in the district.

In Hoshiarpur, the district administration enforced the blackout at 8.15 pm with Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain urging people to stay indoors and not to panic.

Blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region and south Kashmir as many parts of the Union Territory plunged into darkness. In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to locals to switch off their lights.

Explosions were heard in areas surrounding the Awantipora air base in south Kashmir.

Drones were sighted a day after India thwarted attempts by the Pakistan military to attack Indian military installations using drones and missiles.

Officials said the drones were also engaged in Udhampur and Nagrota of Jammu and in Punjab.

Multiple aerial threats coming from Pakistan were intercepted in Jaisalmer for a second consecutive night, prompting security forces to issue a red alert and clamp blackouts in several border districts, creating panic among residents.

Sirens rang out in Pokaran, and a complete blackout was imposed in the region. The blackout in Jodhpur, originally scheduled to begin at midnight, was implemented immediately. Barmer, Sriganganagar and Phalodi also went completely dark.

The border districts had woken up to a tense morning, hung heavy with the wail of air raid sirens and foreboding of what the day would bring. Schools remained shut as did most businesses.

Some locals said that though they were anxious, they were confident as India's armed forces were swiftly thwarting Pakistan's attempts. Pathankot resident Jarnail Singh lauded the government for foiling Pakistan's attempt to hit areas in the border district on Thursday night.

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Amritsar, said, "While we spent an anxious night, things were back to routine during the day."

A few residents in Ferozepur told PTI Videos that they were more apprehensive of the rumours making the rounds. In Bathinda, a local told PTI Videos, "Gunshots kept up till midnight as we sat home in a complete blackout. We spent the night in fear, but things were calm in the morning."

Prayers for peace were held in some gurdwaras in Punjab's Mohali and Rupnagar.

Baldev Chand, an elderly man in Chandigarh who stuck to his routine morning walk on Friday, said while there were some anxious moments the previous night, there was nothing to worry about given the way the Indian armed forces thwarted Pakistan's attempts.

The UT administration later sounded a fresh air raid siren, appealing to people to remain indoors.

"An air warning has been received from the Air Force station of a possible attack. Sirens are being sounded. All are advised to remain indoors and stay away from balconies," an official statement said.

About an hour later, the administration said the siren for the alert was over.

Sirens were blared in Haryana's Panchkula and Ambala for a brief while, appealing to people to stay indoors. The district administration in Patiala issued an advisory, urging people to stay indoors and remain calm.

On Thursday night, India thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles after foiling its attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country.

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 and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.