Srinagar, May 9: India successfully thwarted multiple drone attacks launched from across the border by Pakistan targeting high-security installations including Srinagar Airport and the Awantipora Air Base in south Kashmir late Friday night, top defence sources confirmed Saturday.
The drone incursions were part of a larger, coordinated operation allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan, with hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) spotted over 26 locations across the country.
The targeted areas stretched from Baramulla in north Kashmir to Bhuj in Gujarat, encompassing key zones along both the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).
Defense Sources told Rising Kashmir that the Indian Armed Forces responded swiftly, engaging and neutralizing hostile drones before they could inflict any damage.
“The overall threat level remains high and counter-drone protocols have been intensified nationwide,” they said.
The locations where drone sightings were confirmed include Baramulla, Srinagar, Jammu, Samba, Pathankot, Awantipora, Nagrota, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala.
According to officials, many of the drones were suspected to be armed and were attempting to probe defences at both civilian and military sites.
In one alarming incident, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, Punjab, injuring members of a local family.
“The injured have been given medical care and the area has been fully sanitised by security forces,” a defence official said.
In Srinagar and Awantipora, air defence systems were activated and successfully repelled the drone intrusions.
In Baramulla, locals reported bursts of light in the night sky as defence units engaged incoming UAVs. Anti-drone measures were also deployed in other locations including Udhampur, Samba, and Pathankot.
The attempted strikes prompted emergency measures in several regions.
Earlier in Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to advise residents to switch off lights and stay indoors, while temporary power shutdowns were reported in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, believed to be a preventive step to reduce visibility of key infrastructure.
Citizens residing in border and forward areas have been advised to remain indoors, restrict unnecessary movement, and follow official safety advisories. Authorities have asked the public to stay calm but vigilant in view of the evolving situation.
The attempted strikes triggered panic among residents in several areas. In parts of Srinagar and south Kashmir, the sound of sirens and loud explosions late in the evening led to confusion and fear.
Many families rushed indoors, with some seeking shelter in basements or interior rooms.
Mohammad Altaf, a local in Pattan said that they thought war had broken out. There was chaos for a while, and no one knew what was happening, he said.
In Baramulla, children and elderly people were in distress as anti-aircraft fire lit up the night sky.
“We could hear something flying above, and then there were loud bangs. The power went out and mosque loudspeakers told us to stay inside. It was terrifying,” Tahir Rasheed, another local , said.
In response to the evolving threat, mosque loudspeakers in many parts of the Valley broadcast advisories asking people to switch off lights and stay away from windows.
Defence authorities confirmed that the armed forces are maintaining a “high state of alert,” with real-time monitoring and rapid-response units activated across vulnerable zones.
“All aerial threats are being tracked continuously and engaged as required,” they said.
The fresh escalation comes in the wake of Indian precision strikes earlier this week targeting terror launchpads inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians, including tourists, dead.
“Security agencies continue to assess the extent of the intrusion attempt, and defence officials say more such provocations cannot be ruled out in the coming days,” officials said.
