• Source:JND
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The civil defence mock drills scheduled for May 29 in several states bordering Pakistan have been postponed. These drills, part of the nationwide initiative “Operation Shield”, were originally planned to take place in Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. However,  state governments have deferred the exercise, citing administrative reasons or scheduling conflicts, and a fresh date will be communicated later.

The government had intended to carry out the civil defence drills this Thursday to enhance emergency preparedness in the Pakistan-bordering regions. In Haryana, the exercise named “Operation Shield” was officially postponed, and no new date has been announced.

Similarly, the governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir have confirmed the deferment of the drills, attributing the delay to administrative reasons. Officials have assured that fresh dates will be communicated in due course.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the mock drill was postponed specifically due to the scheduled two-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Jammu and Poonch, starting Thursday. In light of this high-level visit, a meeting was convened on Wednesday evening by the Jammu district administration with officials from all concerned departments. Chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, the meeting included senior police officers and representatives of civil defence. Following discussions, it was decided to defer the drill. The Samba district administration also followed suit and postponed its planned mock drill.

 

On May 7, just before launching Operation Sindoor, the government held the first nationwide civil defence drill. At that point, the Ministry of Home Affairs instructed 244 districts to conduct activities such as blackout drills, air raid sirens, evacuation practices, and public information campaigns to help prepare civilians for emergency scenarios akin to war conditions.

According to the directorate under the Ministry of Home Affairs, several important shortcomings were identified in the civil defence readiness of areas considered vulnerable.

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As per PTI, directives were issued on May 9 to take the necessary steps to address these concerns.

India’s Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor marked India’s immediate military retaliation to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed, the deadliest assault on civilians since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These pre-dawn airstrikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists and triggered a chain of retaliatory attacks across the western border. This included the use of fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and intense exchanges of artillery and rocket fire.

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During one of the retaliatory strikes between the night of May 9 and 10, the Indian Air Force hit 13 Pakistani air bases and military targets. Hostilities between the two nations ended on May 10 after they came to a mutual understanding.