Amid the border burning with artillery shells, mortars and airstrikes, India suddenly launched an unprecedented national civil defense exercise - the Abhyaas Campaign - while Pakistan warned of its readiness to " respond strongly" to airstrikes from New Delhi.
According to RT, this all-people defense exercise took place just hours after India confirmed it had attacked at least 9 targets that it called "terrorist bases" located in Pakistan and the Kashmir region controlled by Islamabad on the morning of May 7.
Indian authorities confirmed that this was a "targeted, cautious response and not targeted the Pakistan army or civilians", following the terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians in the Baisaran Valley on April 22.
Pakistan immediately condemned the air campaign as a "shattered act of war" and warned that it would retaliate "on the right scale". Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: We have full right to defend against this blatant aggression. Pakistan's response is being implemented and will be very determined."
A series of large-scale counter-attacks and drills across India
Immediately after the airstrikes, Pakistan fired artillery and mortars overnight on the Control Road into Kupwara (Jammu & Kashmir), targeting residential areas in Karnah, evacuating hundreds of people.
An Indian soldier - Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar - was killed in a shootout on the morning of May 7.
In this context, India launched the Abhyaas Campaign - a national-scale civil defense exercise, simulating a comprehensive war scenario, including: Widespread airstrike and lightning flare-ups; emergency evacuation; rescue and disaster response training; fake news monitoring...
In the state of Haryana, all 22 districts will have a simultaneous 10-minute "power outage" at 7:50 p.m. on May 7. Cities such as Amritsar (bang punjab) also activate power outages at night, people are required to stay indoors and turn off all lights outside.
As if a strings on the front line
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has asked all neighboring states of Pakistan and Nepal to maintain a high level of alert, while keeping essential supplies, deploying civil defense forces, reservists, and disaster response funds ready.
"We must thoroughly monitor distorted and reactionary content online and ensure smooth communication at hot spots," Shah stressed.
The authorities also said that airlines such as Air India and Air India Express will support refunds and free ticket exchanges for soldiers to serve defense missions amid escalating tensions.
The root of the explosive?
India has accused the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) of being behind a bloody terrorist attack in Israel on April 22. JeM claimed that 10 relatives of leader Masood Azhar were killed in the airstrike in India - a move that further complicated the situation.
Masood Azhar - who was exchanged by India in 1999 to rescue hostages on flight IC-814 - is currently a global terrorist designated by the United Nations. JeM is seen as the culprit behind several deadly attacks in India, including the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
