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 9M96 missile Launch vehicle Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target INDIA Bhuj Bikaner Jodhpur Jaisalmer Barmer INDIA REPELS F aya z W a n i , H a r p r ee t B a j w a , M aya nk 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 multiple 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 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 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- thorities. Amritsar, 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 bord e r w e r e neutralised. “More hostile drones were sighted at multiple places along western front and were being engaged by the air defence systems,” Army 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 cross-border 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 PM meets top officials, calls for emergency preparedness RAJ E SH K U M AR THA 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 issues were discussed in the meeting, including strengthening of civil defence, combating misinformation and fake news, and securing critical infrastructure. The State Cabinet meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, approved Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. A resolution naming Amaravati as the capital of the residual state of Andhra Pradesh will be sent to the Centre to amend the AP State Reorganisation Act. Sections 2 and 5 of the AP State Reorganisation Act mention that Hyderabad would serve as the joint capital for ten years following the State bifurcation. After this period, Hyderabad would become the capital of Telangana, and the newly constructed capital by Andhra Pradesh would become its own. However, the Act did not specify the name of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital. Therefore, the Cabinet has decided to send a resolution to the Centre to officially include Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. Similar to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the area governed by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) will form part of Amaravati. Disclosing details of the Cabinet meeting to mediapersons, Minister for Information and P u bl i c Re l at i o n s Ko l u s u Parthasarathy stated that the people of Andhra Pradesh had no clarity regarding their capi- 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 fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with particular emphasis on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols. M U K E SH RA N JA 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 EAM to Saudi, Iran: India will respond with a very firm hand j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India will respond with a “very , very firm” hand to any military aggression from Pakistan, amid a flurry of diplomatic engagements with Iranian and Saudi ministers as tensions mount between the neighbours. In his opening remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi, Jaishankar said Pahalgam attack had forced India to retaliate across the bor- It’s official: AP Cabinet gives green signal for Amaravati as state capital S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada 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 tal for the past five years due to the ‘three capitals’ theory proposed by the previous government. The current coalition government has now decided to seek statutory approval for Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. The Cabinet expressed solidarity with Operation Sindoor, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Pakistan, and commended the strength and valour demonstrated by the Indian Ar my during the operation. The State Cabinet approved a proposal authorizing the Commissioner of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to approve short tenders for four works worth `1,732.306 crores, award contracts to L1 bidders, and implement decisions approved by the Andhra Pradesh CRDA Authority through Resolutions 529/2025 P4 to 532/2025.  der. “ ...It is not our intention to escalate this situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, it will be met with a very , very firm response,” he said. The two ministers co-chaired the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting. Araghchi had visited Pakistan on Monday . Jaishankar also met Adel AlJubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and spoke on India’s response. “A good meeting with Adel Al-Jubeir this morning. Shared India’s perspective on countering terrorism.” 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 the enemy 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 tadepalligudem l friday l may 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l 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 ■ Our response was measured. It is not our intention to escalate this situation S Jaishankar MP’s sister among six killed in Uttarakhand helicopter crash Gates of two dams opened 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. 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 gates of two dams in J&K – Salal hydro project in Reasi and Baglihar hydro project in Ramban – were opened on Thursday allowing flow of Chenab water to Pak. Chenab was among the rivers Pak got as part of the Indus Waters Treaty | P8 RECORDED VIDEO COURSES for IIT JEE + CBSE + NEET Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Biology Class 7 to 12 UPTO 15 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada TDP Lok Sabha member from Anantapur, G Lakshminarayana, confirmed that his sister, M Vedavati, was among the six killed in a helicopter crash in Uttarakhand on Thursday Her husband, M Bhaskar, survived but . sustained serious injuries. The private helicopter, carrying seven passengers en route to Gangotri temple, crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district at approximately 8:45 am, killing six, including the pilot, according to officials. Vedavati, from Guntakal, was travelling with her husband as part of the Char Dham Yatra, having begun their pilgrimage to Uttarakhand’s sacred sites on Sunday. Bhaskar suffered fractures to his legs and ribs in the crash and is receiving treatment at AIIMS, Rishikesh, where his condition is reported as stable. Following the incident, MP Lakshminarayana and his brother Badri travelled to Dehradun, but their flight was diverted to Delhi due to adverse weather conditions. Minister for Tourism Kandula Durgesh expressed profound sorrow over Vedavati’s death, extending condolences to the family . 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 BUY NOW! to Register 96001 00090 96001 00020