New Delhi: The exchange of fire between India and Pakistan continued on Friday night, with India repulsing multiple drone attacks and imposing blackouts in 14 districts of Punjab. According to defence officials and eyewitnesses, drone attacks were beaten back by Indian forces in areas such as Jammu, Samba Pathankot, Pokhran, Ferozepur, Rajouri, Falodi, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in discussions with national security advisor Ajit Doval, and Vikram Misri, foreign secretary, late on Friday night.
Also on Friday, the IMF voted on a $1.3-billion bailout package for Pakistan, which India abstained from.
In a media statement released the same day, the government noted: “As an active and responsible member country, India raised concerns over the efficacy of IMF programs in case of Pakistan given its poor track record, and also on the possibility of misuse of debt financing funds for state sponsored cross border terrorism.”
In the statement, India called out the multilateral lending body for its continued release of funds to Pakistan. “Pakistan military’s deeply entrenched interference in economic affairs poses significant risks of policy slippages and reversal of reforms…India pointed out that rewarding continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism sends a dangerous message to the global community, exposes funding agencies and donors to reputational risks, and makes a mockery of global values,” the statement said.
The IMF took note of India’s statements and its abstention from the vote, the statement said. The results of the vote were not officially announced till Mint went to press.
Separately on Friday, India’s stock markets closed in the red for the second straight session amid fears of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, but the rupee pared its initial losses and settled for the day higher by 17 paise against the US dollar.
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Meanwhile, on the night of 8-9 May, Pakistan attempted to shield itself by allowing civilian aircraft to fly in its airspace, foreign secretary Misri said at a media briefing on Friday, accompanied by colonel Sofiya Qureshi and wing commander Vyomika Singh, who provided daily information briefs on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
Qureshi and Singh provided details from a flight tracking application showing a civilian aircraft flying towards Lahore, while Indian airspace was devoid of any civilian plane.
The media were briefed that about 300-400 Turkey-made Asisguard Songar drones were used by Pakistan in an offensive on Thursday night, in an effort to gather intelligence and test Indian defence systems.
Misri said Pakistan had indulged in a disinformation campaign to fuel communal tensions by stating that India’s artillery fire had destroyed a Gurudwara–a place of worship for Sikhs. “India’s steadfast unity is a challenge to Pakistan,” Misri said in the briefing, adding that Pakistan’s cowardly attacks are provocative and escalatory as they targeted cities and civilian infrastructure. However, India’s response was adequate and proportionate, he said.
The conflict began as a retaliatory move by India against terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of 7 May, as per a defence ministry statement, in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, which took the lives of 26 civilians.
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Indian leadership hardens resolve
Indicating its resolve to thwart all Pakistani misadventure along the border even if it meant prolonging the conflict, the Indian government on Friday went into a huddle to fine tune its military and civilian strategy aimed at ensuring that the country stays a step ahead of its western neighbour.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with chiefs of armed forces including the chief of defence staff (CDS) to take stock of the situation. He also met the Prime Minister later in the day to update him.
Home minister Amit Shah also held meetings with director generals of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take stock of preparedness of internal security apparatus to ensure security of the country’s key installations, particularly airports and other key infrastructure facilities along the western border with Pakistan.
Health minister J.P. Nadda held meetings with execs of top pharma companies and health secretaries of western border states like Rajasthan and Punjab to ensure adequate availability of medicines.
Shipping minister Sarabananda Sonowal reviewed key maritime projects and measures to be taken to ensure smooth and normal movement of cargo operations.
Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan held a meeting with officials to ensure that there is no shortage of food grain during this period. Chauhan also said that there was more than adequate stock of food with the government.
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Health minister J.P. Nadda held meetings with executives of top pharma companies and health secretaries of western border states such as Rajasthan and Punjab to ensure adequate availability of medicines. Secretaries were told to ensure that hospitals in their respective states remained fully staffed with adequate medical facilities and ambulances to meet with any eventuality.
Other moves and implications
To reduce panic among citizens, the government has activated its fact checking units to highlight and debunk unverified, misleading information on social and mainstream media troop movements, doctored videos claiming to show missile launches, among other things.
“If disinformation campaigns succeed on both sides, unexpected escalation due to societal pressure on the leadership can take place,” said commodore retired Chitrapu Uday Bhaskar, director, Society for Policy Studies. Bhaskar said specifically in the Indian case, it would be very dangerous if Pakistan’s disinformation campaign during Operation Sindoor stokes communal hatred along Hindu-Muslim lines, and is maliciously directed against Kashmiri Muslims.
“There are international conventions and laws regarding the protection of civil flights during conflict periods in specific zones. If Pakistan has violated these norms and deliberately allowed commercial air traffic to operate in such zones, this would be considered a criminal act,” said Bhaskar. However, individual airlines are usually aware of the routes they should avoid during conflicts, he added.
Meanwhile, doctors across the country are readying themselves to tackle medical emergencies that may arise in this situation. Several state governments have already cancelled leaves of critical healthcare staff.
India’s intelligence agencies have also tightened security in key cities over concerns of possible disruptions by Pakistan-sponsored sleeper cells. Central agencies are working closely with state machinery to identify potential hideouts and monitor suspicious activity.
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The Indian Railways is also exploring the possibility of opening the world’s tallest railway bridge over the Chenab river to facilitate the movement of troops and essential supplies.
The government has also suspended civilian flight operations from 24 airports as a precautionary measure to ensure safety and security of critical infrastructure. But this move may have an unintended consequence – disruption of logistics and e-commerce supply chains. These disruptions have forced some courier firms to find alternative delivery routes via unaffected airports.
Disruptions in airline services, however, were not limited to cargo. Tourism and travel agencies are also witnessing a surge in last-minute cancellations and deferments, with the impact of the rising tensions with Pakistan cutting down travel plans to northern states as well as Rajasthan for the next week, at least.
India’s intelligence agencies have also tightened security in key cities over concerns of possible disruptions by Pakistan-sponsored sleeper cells.
While Delhi remains largely unaffected, some local stores report increased purchases of staples.
In a blow to cricket fans, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially suspended the ongoing IPL season on Friday, following heightened security concerns and the cancellation of Thursday night’s match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala when Pakistani drones were targeting several Indian cities including the Jammu city.
The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have also pushed consumers in border areas to stockpile essential supplies, according to packaged food companies. Reports suggest that amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, residents in border towns are panic buying essential goods, increasing demand in stores and online.
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While Delhi remains largely unaffected, some local stores report increased purchases of staples. E-commerce firms have come forward to dispel misinformation suggesting that their supply chains were designed to ensure that most warehouses and fulfilment centres will be able to cater to orders.
The rupee pared its initial losses and settled for the day higher by 17 paise at 85.41 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday (9 May 2025), as likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helped contain excess depreciation of the rupee.
Despite such measures, the Indian Rupee depreciated by 88 paise on Thursday, the worst fall in about two-and-a-half years. The rupee, however, pared initial losses and settled for the day stronger at 85.41 (provisional) against the US dollar after the RBI stepped in to support the rupee. Economists estimated that the fall of rupee against the US dollar amid escalating border tension would likely be short-lived, despite concerns over inflation and foreign investment. But the situation could worsen if the current situation continues.
The Union finance ministry also asked banks to ensure normal services at all ATMs and prevent disruptions in the light of the simmering tensions between India and Pakistan.
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Source:https://www.livemint.com/news/operation-sindoor-vikram-misri-ipl-pahalgam-attack-india-pakistan-war-imf-civilian-aircraft-shield-jammu-military-poonch-11746801508680.html