china PoK Awantipura afghanistan Interception PA K I S T A N Long-range surveillance radar 40N6E missile[3] 240 km Umerkot’s Chhor 150 km 48N6DM(E3) missile 48N6M(E2) missile 48N6(E) missile 120 km 9M96M(E2) Engagement radar 40 km 9M96 missile Launch vehicle Ludhiana Bhuj Map not to scale INDIA REPELS F aya z W a n i , H a r p r ee 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 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. PM meets top officials, calls for emergency preparedness RAJ E S H KUMAR THAKUR @ 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. @ Chennai Tamil Nadu students recorded a pass percentage of 95.03% in the Class 12 State Board examination results announced by the Directorate of Government Examination (DGE) on Thursday . Of the 7,92,494 students who appeared for the exam, 7,53,142 have cleared it, marking a slight increase in the pass percentage of 94.56 recorded last year. Ariyalur, which had occu- pied the third spot in 2024, emerged as the top performer this year with 98.82% students clearing the exam. It was followed by Erode (97.98%) and Tiruppur (97.53%). Government schools in the three districts were also the top three performers among staterun schools. More students took the exam this year compared to last year when around 7.6 lakh had appeared for the examination. The number of absentees also dropped from 11,594 in 2024 to 10,049 this year.  P2 LeT commander Hafiz Abdul Rauf leads funeral prayers in Muridke | PTI MUK E S H RANJAN @ 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- 95.03% students clear Class 12 exam, Ariyalur top performer with 98.82% S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r 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. 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.” Our response was measured. It is not our intention to escalate this situation S Jaishankar Duraimurugan gets law, Regupathy minerals & mines in cabinet rejig Group-wise pass percentage Science: 96.99% Commerce: 92.68% Arts: 82.90% Vocational: 84.22% In an unexpected change in portfolios, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday allotted the mines and minerals department held by senior minister Duraimurugan to S Regupathy . The portfolio of law, held by Regupathy was , given to Duraimurugan. An official release from Raj Bhavan said, “Based on the recommendation of the CM, the portfolio of law has been allotted to Duraimurugan, Minister for Water Resources. The portfolio of minerals and mines has been allotted to S Regupathy Regupathy, Duraimurugan and he has been designated as Minister for Natural Resources.” Duraimurugan will continue to hold other portfolios like Legislative Assembly Gover, nor and Ministry, and Elections and Passports. The reallotment came as a surprise to party cadres as 86-year-old Duraimurugan, who has been an MLA since 1971 barring just two elections that he lost, is at present the seniormost leader of the party DMK’s gen, eral secretary and third in rank in the state , cabinet next to the CM and Deputy CM.  P5 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. Ariyalur: 98.82% Erode: 97.98% Tiruppur: 97.53% Coimbatore: 97.48% Kanniyakumari: 97.01% blind achiever: M Anand, the first visually impaired student to write Class 12 exam using a computer, has scored 486 marks in the boards  P2 express read Dharamsala IPL match abandoned midway Prevost becomes first US pope as Leo XIV Illegal immigrants: HC seeks report from TN CHENNAI: The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was called off midway on Thursday. The BCCI is set to take a call on remaining IPL games | P11 Rome: Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the US, picking the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world’s 1.4 bn Catholics | P9 Madurai: The Madras HC has sought a report from central and state govts on steps taken to deport illegal immigrants after a petitioner claimed 46K foreigners are illegally staying in TN | P4 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 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 Pakistan. Chenab was among the rivers Pakistan 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 ess n e w s se r v i c e @ Chennai Top districts 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. ABHRA Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile ‘IC-814 hijacking mastermind Rauf Azhar killed’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting secretaries of various ministries | PTI Pakistan sites hit by India 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 Kapurthala Phalodi Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target ■ Jalandhar Barmer Karachi 200 km Command vehicle Uttarlai Jaisalmer Bikaner Jodhpur Sindh Operational range 400 km Lahore Bhatinda How S-400s neutralised the enemy The Air Force used the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to obliterate Pakistan’s escalation bid Pathankot Amritsar Rawalpindi Chakwal Gujranwala DHARMAPURI l friday l may 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 ■ BUY NOW! to Register 96001 00090 96001 00020