India has ordered some 300 ‘civil defence districts’ to conduct mock drills after firing missiles at Pakistan, in what it said was retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists.
These districts have sensitive installations like nuclear power plants, military bases, refineries and hydroelectric dams – all of which will be covered by air raid siren exercises, civillian training for a ‘hostile attack’, and the cleaning of bunkers and trenches.
Sources have confirmed a high-level meeting has taken place, chaired by union Home Secretary Govind Mahan, between top civil and police officials to discuss on how to conduct these drills.
The Ministry of Home Affairs says the drills are in response to the “new and complex threats” that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 – when 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed – in what was the worst attack on civilians in the region in two decades, and sparked widespread anger in India.
Authorities in all Indian states will be inmvolved, with students of educational institutions, employees of government and private organisations, hospital staff, railway and metro officials, as well as uniformed police personnel, paramiliary and defence forces taking part.
The exercises are planned up to the village level, aiming to assess and enhance the readiness of civil defence mechanisms across all states and union territories.
Overnight, India lauinched missiles deep into Pakistan’s territory targeting at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned”, India’s defence ministry said.
Pakistan which has denied any involvement in last month’s attack, called the strikes an act of war and said more than two dozen people, including children, had been killed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned the “heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished”, with Pakistan’s military saying it has shot down five Indian aircraft and a drone.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said the strikes were some of the highest-intensity ones from India on its rival in years and that Pakistan’s response would “surely pack a punch as well”.
“These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other,” Mr Kugelman said.
“The escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly.”