Centre orders wartime drills

New Delhi, May 5: The Centre Monday directed several states to conduct security mock drills on Wednesday, May 7, in a rare move to enhance civil defence preparedness amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, NDTV and several other media reported, quoting Home Ministry sources.

According to the report, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states to simulate wartime readiness measures, including air raid warnings, blackout protocols, and civilian training, in what officials describe as a precautionary step in light of ìprevailing war threats.î

The drill, the first of its kind since the 1971 India-Pakistan War, comes after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 persons, mostly tourists were killed.

New Delhi attributed the attack to Pakistan-backed terrorists.

Since then, ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) have continued for 11 consecutive nights, drawing strong retaliatory action from India.

In one such exercise, officials in Ferozepur, Punjab, ordered a 30-minute blackout in the cantonment area on Monday night.

A letter from the Cantonment Board to the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) requested a power cut and heightened security during the scheduled drill.

The rehearsal aims to ensure preparedness and effectiveness in implementing blackout procedures during prevailing war threats,î the letter said.

The Home Ministrys five key directives for the nationwide drill include activation of air raid sirens; public training on civil defence protocols; implementation of crash blackouts; camouflaging of critical infrastructure and rehearsal and updating of evacuation plans.

While officials maintain the exercise is precautionary, the timing and scale suggest a growing sense of urgency in New Delhiís security posture.