The Punjab government has again implemented blackout orders in some districts. The step was taken as a precaution a few hours after the immediate ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan. At the same time, drone attacks were carried out in Pokhran and Barmer in Rajasthan, which were destroyed by security forces in the air. After this, red alert was issued in the border districts of the state and high red alert in Barmer.
Earlier, the district administration in Punjab withdrew blackouts and other restrictive orders. Blackout measures have been implemented in Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Pathankot, Patiala, Moga and Muktsar districts.
Red alert in Rajasthan
After the drone attack in Pokhran and Barmer in Rajasthan, a red alert was declared in the border districts, while high red alert was implemented in Barmer. All markets in Jodhpur were closed as a precaution.
Deputy Commissioner (Amritsar) Sakshi Sahni said, “Since there are reports of ceasefire violations, we will be on alert today.” He said, we will blackout if needed. I advise everyone to be prepared to apply blackouts if needed and stay at home. Please do not break crackers. We have done this practice many times, so please do not panic. This is being done as extreme caution.
Hoshiarpur district administration said that blackout was done at eight o’clock in the night and a air strike siren was played. The district administration in Ferozepur said that blackout was done at 8.40 pm and citizens were urged to close the lights.
The message issued by the administration said, there is no need to panic. An official in Fazilka said that the blackout was implemented at nine and a half hours, while in Rupnagar it would be implemented from 9.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
Ludhiana district administration said, “Looking at the changes in the circumstances, all the people are requested to stay inside the houses and resort to voluntary blackouts wherever possible.
The Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana said that there is no major cause of concern, but voluntary blackout should be ensured as sufficient caution. Sangrur district administration has also announced a blackout from 9.10 am to 11 pm.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called upon Pakistan to take “appropriate steps” to remove these violations during a press conference at the midnight and deal with the situation with “Serverity and Responsibility”.
He said that the armed forces have been instructed to strictly deal with any recurrence of border violations along the international border as well as the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “For the last few hours, the consent between the Director General of India and Pakistan has been violating frequently.” Misri said, “It is a violation of the consent in the past today.”
After the declaration of the ceasefire, markets and shops, who were first closed at several places including Pathankot and Kapurthala, were reopened. In Punjab, missile remains were found in Beas, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Tarn Taran districts of Amritsar.
Residents of Rajubela Chichharan village in Gurdaspur said that after a loud blast in the early hours, a deep pit of about 35 feet wide and 15 feet became a pit. The police officer said that there were no casualties in the incident, but the electric wire was damaged.
