India’s Ministry of Home Affairs issued emergency directives on Monday ordering civil defense drills across key northern states, including the volatile Jammu and Kashmir region and territories bordering Pakistan. The move follows the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed dozens of tourists and has reignited hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue the perpetrators “to the ends of the earth,” with national sentiment heavily favoring the belief that Pakistan either enabled or ignored the attackers. Pakistan has denied involvement and accused India of preparing for imminent military action, claims Indian officials have not confirmed or denied.
The drills include evacuation exercises, testing of emergency communication networks, deployment of camouflage around critical infrastructure, and public instruction on air raid procedures. Regions placed under readiness review range from the capital New Delhi to the highly sensitive Jammu and Kashmir area. Locals in these zones said they have not witnessed such measures since the 1971 India-Pakistan conflict.
The Home Affairs directive emphasized the evolving nature of modern threats and underscored the need for “optimum civil defense preparedness.” Officials quickly identified gaps in local readiness and moved to correct them.
Simultaneously, Pakistan launched two missile tests within three days. Monday’s launch involved a Fatah-series surface-to-surface missile with a 75-mile range, while an earlier test used an Abdali-class missile with significantly greater reach. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the demonstrations as proof of the military’s “full preparedness.”
India, on the economic front, called on the International Monetary Fund to reassess its $7 billion loan program to Pakistan, citing instability and potential misuse of funds. Credit agency Moody’s warned that if trade and travel between the two nations shut down, Pakistan’s fragile economy could suffer a severe blow, while India would face limited economic consequences.
At the U.N., Pakistan met strong resistance when it suggested the Pahalgam massacre might have been a false-flag operation. Security Council members instead focused on the activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group blamed for the attack. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the targeting of civilians and urged both sides to de-escalate tensions.
Guterres offered U.N. mediation and emphasized that military action must be avoided. “Make no mistake, a military solution is no solution,” he said, advocating instead for diplomacy and peace-building efforts.
