Amid heightened tensions following a missile and drone attack by Pakistan on several parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and shelling in Punjab’s Pathankot district, sirens were sounded in Chandigarh on Thursday night. Authorities promptly enforced a blackout, urging residents to remain indoors. All shops were ordered to close and citizens were advised to return home immediately.
Officials confirmed that a similar blackout was enforced in neighbouring Mohali. In a public advisory, the District Collector of Chandigarh stated: "Keeping in view the ongoing emergency situation, all the residents are requested to immediately respond to the sound of the siren and switch off all the lights and also are advised not to venture outside or on the rooftops."
An update from the district administration around midnight informed that power would soon be restored from the grid, but residents were urged to continue observing a voluntary blackout.
The escalation comes after Pakistan's failed attempt to target installations in 15 locations across India—including Chandigarh—on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. Subsequently, on Thursday evening, Pakistan launched at least eight missiles targeting RS Pura, Arnia, Samba, and Hiranagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Several of these missiles were intercepted by Indian air defence systems over Jammu.
Simultaneously, reports emerged of shelling in Pathankot, Punjab, which lies roughly 30 km from the international border.
Blackouts have also been enforced in several other areas including Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Amritsar in Punjab, and Panchkula in Haryana as a precautionary measure.
Also Read: Blackout imposed in Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu border areas
Earlier, the Indian defence ministry reported that Pakistan had attempted to strike military installations in multiple locations—Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj—using missiles and drones. India’s air defence systems successfully neutralised the incoming threats, and the debris is being collected as evidence of Pakistan's offensive.
In a calibrated response, India targeted and neutralised air defence systems at various locations in Pakistan, including one in Lahore.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri refuted Pakistan’s claims of Indian provocation, underscoring that it was Pakistan which initiated the current escalation through a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, in which 26 people were killed.
“The original escalation was by Pakistan on the 22nd of April. We are the ones who are responding to that escalation with the action that was taken yesterday morning. And again, I would like to emphasise that the action was restrained—it was directed towards non-civilian, non-military targets and confined to terrorist camps,” Misri said. He added that Pakistan’s ongoing actions are further escalations and reaffirmed that India is responding appropriately.
Also Read: Pak drone hits Jammu airport, defence system blocks 8 missiles
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