Govt orders complete ‘blackout’ in Gurdaspur following safety measures amid Indo-Pak tension

GURDASPUR: The Government of India and the Punjab state government have issued directives under the Civil Defence Act, 1968, to enforce a complete blackout in Gurdaspur district from 9 pm on May 8 to 5 am on May 9, until further orders.

The statement released reads, “Due to a sensitive environment on the Indo-Pak border, guidelines of the Government of India and the Government of Punjab. According to this, further orders will be issued from 08.05.2025 to deal with the emergency situation under the Civil Defense Act 1968. From 9.00 pm to 5.00 am the next day, there will be complete “black out” in district Gurdaspur. This order will not be applicable in Central Jail Gurdaspur and hospitals. Though, the windows of Gurdaspur jail and hospitals will be closed every day from 9.00 pm to 5.00 am the next day”.

Amritsar resumes blackout as part of nationwide civil defence drill; DPRO urges residents not to panic

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The measure is in response to a sensitive environment along the Indo-Pakistan border and aims to address any potential emergency situation. The blackout order exempts Central Jail, Gurdaspur, and hospitals. However, these institutions must keep their windows closed and securely covered during the specified hours to ensure no light escapes.

After India executed Operation Sindoor, in which nine terror sites deep inside Pakistan were destroyed, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets on the night of May 7. The military targets were engaged in Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles.

These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks. Indian Air Force S-400 Sudarshan Chakra air defence missile systems were fired on Wednesday night against targets moving towards India. The targets were successfully neutralised in the operation.

On Thursday morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at several locations in Pakistan. The Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan’s. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.

Sources said that over 100 terrorists were eliminated with a series of precision strikes launched in the early hours of Wednesday. The operation, aimed at avenging the Pahalgam terror attack, remains underway, making it challenging to provide an exact casualty count of the terrorists at this stage, sources further stated. (ANI)