Jammu Plunges Into Darkness Amid Explosions As India Repels Major Drone, Missile Attack By Pakistan

Jammu city was plunged into darkness on Friday evening amid the sounds of explosions and blaring sirens, as tensions between India and Pakistan intensified.

The blasts occurred following continued shelling by Pakistan, which came in the wake of India's targeted air strikes on nine terrorist camps earlier this week under Operation Sindoor.

Photo Credit: @OmarAbdullah on X

"Intermittent explosions, likely from heavy artillery, are still echoing where I am," shared Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a post on X. He also uploaded an image showing the city blacked out, captioned: "Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city."

Abdullah urged residents in and around Jammu to stay indoors and avoid the streets for the next few hours. He called on people to disregard rumours and unverified claims, urging unity in facing the situation.

"It's my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu: please stay off the streets, stay home or at the nearest safe location for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don't spread unverified stories - we will get through this together," he posted on X.

Meanwhile, Pakistani drones were spotted over Jammu, Samba, and the Pathankot sector, and were swiftly engaged by Indian forces.

The escalation peaked on Thursday evening, when Pakistan launched a drone and missile assault targeting several locations in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. The strike was successfully intercepted by Indian air defence systems.

The attack led to blackouts and triggered air raid sirens across multiple cities, even causing the suspension of the ongoing IPL match in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

India responded by deploying Barak-8 missiles, S-400 Triumph systems, Akash surface-to-air missiles, and domestically developed anti-drone technologies to repel the offensive.

Pakistan's military reportedly aimed to strike Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj using a combination of drones and missiles.