FIRINGS AND DRONE sightings in the border areas — from Srinagar and Anantnag in Jammu & Kashmir to Barmer in Rajasthan and Kutch in Gujarat — hours after the announcement to stop firing and military actions, highlighted how Pakistan’s intentions and the bilateral trust deficit will continue to test how the ceasefire will endure.
In a late night briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri who announced the ceasefire at 6 pm in a press conference, was back to point out the violations by Pakistan. “For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan,” he said.
Misri said this was “a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today”. “The Armed Forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations. We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility. The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation. They have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the borders along the international border as well as the Line of Control,” he said.
Sources in the government, however, said it takes time for ceasefire to be fully operational on the ground given the multiple levels at which these instructions are passed on. “Tonight is key. If the intensity continues as in previous nights, then we will see,” the source said.
There were reports of explosions and intermittent firing in Srinagar, spotting of a swarm of drones over Badamibagh cantonment which houses the XV Corps headquarters, and Anantnag, heavy shelling in Rajouri, and coming in of drones in Kutch. At 9.15 pm, posting a video of a blast and light streaks in the sky, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up.”
In a post 15 minutes earlier, he had said, “What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar.”
Some border districts in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir have ordered blackouts as a precautionary measure. In Punjab, authorities ordered a blackout in about a dozen districts including Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Bathinda, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Gurdaspur.
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In Rajasthan’s Barmer district, the District Magistrate sounded an alert about an “incoming air raid”. He called for “urgent blackout” in the city.
Drones were also spotted in Kutch in Gujarat. Minister of State for Home and Industries and Transport, said, several drones have been spotted. “A complete blackout will be implemented now. Please stay safe, don’t panic,” he wrote on X. A blackout was also enforced in Santhal taluka in Patan.