china PoK Awantipura afghanistan bengaluru l friday l may 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 42 l late city EDITION Interception Operational range 400 km 40N6E missile[3] Long-range surveillance radar 240 km 200 km 150 km 48N6DM(E3) missile 48N6M(E2) missile 48N6(E) missile Command vehicle 120 km 9M96M(E2) Engagement radar 9M96 missile @ Srinagar/ Chandigarh/New Delhi Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on Thursday evening after Pakistani drone attacks were reported across parts of Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan. The Indian air defence system responded swiftly, intercepting multiple drones, triggering air raid sirens and enforcing blackouts in border towns. India’s armed forces followed the principle of proportionate response and negated Pakistan’s bid to escalate the conflict. Intense Pakistan shelling from across the border drew a similar response from India. As the tension ratcheted up in the evening, US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke to Ex- Launch vehicle ments later, Pakistani drones were seen being intercepted over Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, with visible explosions and flashes lighting up the sky . The situation quickly escalated as civil administrations across northern India moved into action. Hoshiarpur in Punjab declared an immediate blackout after loud explosions were heard. Amritsar, Chandig arh, Mohali, Panchkula, and parts of Barmer in Rajasthan soon followed. Debris believed to be from missiles was recovered from Kumahi Devi village near Hoshiarpur’s Talwara, officials said. “Military stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary in J&K were targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by #IndianArmedForces as per SoP with kinetic & nonkinetic means,” the Army said. Besides, eight missiles from Pakistan directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia were neutralised. Similarly, a bid to attack two ammunition depots in Jalandhar, drone attacks at the Pathankot airbase and the Shahpur Kandi dam were thwarted in Punjab. Earlier, India had targeted Pakistani air defence systems, including one in Lahore, in response to overnight drone and missile attacks. These strikes came just a day after India carried out Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructures in Pakistan, following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians. PM meets officials, calls for emergency preparedness R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting with top officials from various ministries to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination in light of the escalating conflict with Pakistan. According to sources, several key is- Rubio calls Jaishankar, seeks quick de-escalation jaya n th jac o b @ New Delhi AS tensions flare between India and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday called for immediate de-escalation during a phone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He also spoke to his counterpart in Pakistan. “The Secretary emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation. He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” said a statement.Rubio also offered condolences for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. sues were discussed in the meeting, including strengthening of civil defence, combating misinformation and fake news, and securing critical infrastructure. The Cabinet secretary, senior officials from the prime minister’s office, and secretaries from key ministries including defence, home affairs, external affairs, information & broadcasting, power, health, and telecommunications attended the meeting, sources said. The secretaries were directed to conduct a comprehensive review of operations of their ministries and to ensure the fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with particular emphasis on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication. RECORDED VIDEO COURSES for IIT JEE + CBSE + NEET Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Biology Class 7 to 12 UPTO 15 e x p r e ss r e a d Robert Prevost is first American Pope Vatican City: Cardinal Robert Prevost, who leads the Vatican’s office of bishops, was elected the first American Pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV | P14 BUY NOW! Assembly disqualifies Reddy for 6 years Bengaluru: The Legislative Assembly has disqualified Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy for six years following his conviction in the illegal mining case in Hyderabad | P4 to Register Lahore Bhatinda PA K I S TA N Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target Swarms of drones and missiles targeting Jammu airport neutralised; bid to bomb parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and J&K blocked; Indian follows principle of proportionate response ternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and called for “immediate de-escalation”. He offered “support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” US state department said. Jaishankar said India “will firmly counter any attempts at escalation”. The chain of e ve n t s b e g a n with Pakistan launching missiles and kamikaze drones targeting the Jammu airport, which also houses the Indian Air Force station, and the civilian areas around it. All missiles and drones were neutralised. Soon after, explosions were reported in Punjab, followed by Pakistani shelling near Pathankot and Kupwara. Mo- Pathankot Amritsar Jaisalmer Phalodi Bikaner Jodhpur Uttarlai Barmer Sindh Karachi 40 km INDIA REPELS PAKistan DRONE BLITZ F aya z W a n i , H ar p reet Bajwa , M aya n k S i n g h Rawalpindi Chakwal Gujranwala Umerkot’s Chhor How S-400s neutralised the enemy The Air Force used the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to obliterate Pakistan’s escalation bid Srinagar Jammu Attock 96001 00090 96001 00020 Ludhiana CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ Jalandhar Kapurthala Bhuj Map not to scale Indian sites hit by Pakistan Pakistan sites hit by India THREAT NEUTRALISED Army said military stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu & Kashmir targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by #IndianArmedForces as per SoP with kinetic & non-kinetic means India’s Air Defence SYSTEM ABHRA Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile LeT commander Hafiz Abdul Rauf leads funeral prayers in Muridke, Pakistan | PTI ‘IC-814 hijacking mastermind Rauf Azhar killed’ M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Abdul Rauf Azhar, Jaish-eMohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar’s brother and the terror outfit’s operational head, was killed in India’s airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, officials said on Thursday The slain terrorist . was considered the mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking in 1999 and involved in the 2001 Parliament attack. Terming it major victory, officials said he was killed in the Indian strikes on the Bahawalpur terror hideout early on Wednesday . Masood Azhar acknowledged that 10 members of his family and four of his close associates were killed in India’s air strikes on JeM’s headquarters. Those killed included Masood Azhar’s sister and brother-in-law. “Now we have confirmation from our sources in Pakistan that Rauf was killed along with 10 of Masood’s family and four associates,” a senior intelligence official said. “Rauf Azhar’s role in orchestrating the IC-814 hijacking directly facilitated the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a key Al-Qaeda operative who went on to kidnap and murder Daniel Pearl, an American-Jewish journalist with the Wall Street Journal,” the official added. ABHRA is a joint development between India’s DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries. It’s a state-of-the-art air defence weapon system, range 70 km, designed to neutralise aerial threats and drones. It is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system AKASH: Mobile surface-to-air missile The Akash missile system can engage targets up to a range of 25 km. It is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to protect from air attacks. The Akash system has been showcased for its ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously at this range SPYDER air defence system: A workhorse This air defence system includes the Elta EL/M-2106 ATAR radar, which can control missile firing units up to 10 km. It also includes Python-5 infrared missiles of range up to 12 km and Derby radar-guided missiles up to 50 km