CHINA PoK Awantipura AFGHANISTAN PA K I S TA N Long-range surveillance radar 40N6E missile[3] 240 km 150 km 48N6DM(E3) missile 48N6M(E2) missile 48N6(E) missile Command vehicle 120 km 9M96M(E2) Engagement radar 40 km Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target 9M96 missile Launch vehicle INDIA Bhuj Bikaner Jodhpur Jaisalmer Barmer INDIA REPELS F AYA Z W A N I , H A R P R E E T B A J W A , M AYA N K S I N G H @ 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 multi, ple drones, triggering air raid sirens and enforcing blackouts in border towns. As the tension ratcheted up in the evening, US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and called for “immediate deescalation”. He offered “support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” US state department said. Ja i s h a n k a r said India “will firmly counter any attempts at escalation”. The chain of events began with Pakistan launching missiles and kamikaze drones targeting the Jammu airport and the civilian areas around, which also houses the Indian Air Force station. All missiles and drones were neutralised. Soon after, explosions were reported in Punjab, followed by Pakistani shelling near Pathankot and Kupwara. Moments 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. “The blackout will continue till further orders,” said Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain, confirming that it was enforced following instructions from Air Force au- t h o r i t i e s . A m r i t s a r, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and parts of Barmer in Rajasthan soon followed with similar blackout orders. 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 & non-kinetic means,” the Army said. As many as eight missiles from Pakistan directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia across the border were neutralised. “More hostile drones were sighted at multiple places along western front and were being engaged by the air defence systems,” Ar my sources said. Earlier in the day, India had targeted Pakistani air defence systems, including one in Lahore, in response to overnight drone and missile attacks launched by Pakistan. 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. Meanwhile, in Gujarat’s Kachchh district, border villages plunged into darkness following blackouts. Blackouts were enforced across the Bhuj region amid anticipation of crossborder attacks. Security agencies remain on high alert, and civil defence protocols are being rolled out across multiple states bordering Pakistan as the military standoff continues to intensify There . were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage from the Pakistani attack. ABHRA Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile LeT commander Hafiz Abdul Rauf leads funeral prayers in Muridke | PTI ‘IC-814 HIJACKING MASTERMIND RAUF AZHAR KILLED’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting secretaries of various ministries | PTI PM meets top 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 interministerial coordination in light of the escalating conflict with Pakistan. According to sources, several key issues 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 the operations of their respective ministries and to ensure the foolproof functioning of essential systems, with particular emphasis on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols. 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 Pak to get firm response: EAM J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that India will respond with a “very very firm” , hand to any military aggression from Pakistan, even as he emphasised New Delhi’s intent to avoid escalation. His remarks came amid a flurry of diplomatic engagements with Iranian and Saudi ministers as tensions mount between the neighbours following the ter ror attack in Pahalgam. In his opening remarks during a THREAT NEUTRALISED 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 PAKISTAN DRONE BLITZ Missile, drone attacks on Jammu airport neutralised; unmanned aerial vehicles trying to bomb parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and elsewhere shot; US urges immediate de-escalation INDIAN SITES HIT BY PAKISTAN PAKISTAN SITES HIT BY INDIA Uttarlai Karachi 200 km Jalandhar Phalodi Umerkot’s Chhor OPERATIONAL RANGE Ludhiana ■ Kapurthala Sindh HOW S-400s NEUTRALISED PAK ATTACKS 400 km Lahore Bhatinda Interception The Air Force used the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to obliterate Pakistan’s escalation bid Pathankot Amritsar Rawalpindi Chakwal Gujranwala SAMBALPUR  FRIDAY  MAY 09, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION Srinagar Jammu Attock 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 ■ meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the Pahalgam attack had forced India to retaliate. “You are visiting India at a time when we are responding to a particularly barbaric terrorist attack on April 22 in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This attack compelled us to respond on May 7 by striking at the cross-border terrorist infrastructure...However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very , very firm response,” he said. HIMACHAL IPL MATCH CALLED OFF in India’s precision air strikes on JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur. 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 members and four close 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 working 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 IGLA-S: Russian portable air defence A Man-Portable Air Defence System that can hit low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, and UAVs within a 6 km range The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday was called off midway following a blackout as Pakistani shelling escalated. The stadium was soon evacuated. RECORDED VIDEO COURSES for IIT JEE + CBSE + NEET Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Biology Class 7 to 12 UPTO 15 5 airports in Odisha put on high alert A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar AMID escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan, five airports in Odisha have been put on high alert. Police sources said security has been massively ramped up at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar, Veer Surendra Sai airport in Jharsuguda as well as Rourkela, Utkela (Kalahandi) and Malkangiri airports. Quick response teams have been deployed at the five airports to immediately handle any emergency situation. Apart from the airports, the defence establishments in the state including the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore have been put under a thick blanket of security cover. Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania late on Thursday evening chaired a high-level meeting with the senior officers to review the preparedness of the state police to deal with any war like situation. A senior police officer said they are in constant touch with the Centre to receive instructions if the security needs to be enhanced further. The DGP has directed the senior officers to review the security arrangements in all the police districts, and if required CONTINUED ON P5 to further augment security measures. BUY NOW! to Register 96001 00090 96001 00020