India Intercepts Pakistani Missiles, Blackout in Jammu Border Regions

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th May: Tensions between India and Pakistan spiraled overnight into a fierce military face-off, triggering blackouts across parts of Jammu & Kashmir and northern India. Pakistan launched a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Indian military installations just hours after its failed attempt to strike 15 Indian cities.

Eight missiles fired at RS Pura, Arnia, Samba, and Hiranagar—areas laden with Indian defence infrastructure—were intercepted mid-air by the Indian Air Defence System. Yet, the aftermath on the ground was equally alarming. As sirens blared and skies lit up with interceptor flares, large sections of Jammu plunged into blackout. Cellphone videos captured by terrified locals showed blazing trails across the night sky—a visual testament to the intense defensive measures underway.

At approximately 9 PM, Jammu echoed with multiple explosions. Simultaneously, cellphone networks collapsed in several pockets, cutting off residents from their loved ones. Adding to the high-stakes tension, defence sources confirmed that an F-16 fighter jet launched from Pakistan’s Sargodha Air Base was shot down by Indian forces using a surface-to-air missile system.

The scope of the assault widened with Pathankot—a critical military and logistical hub in Punjab—coming under heavy artillery fire. Blackouts have now been imposed across the border states of Punjab and Rajasthan, including Chandigarh, Ferozepur, Mohali, and Gurdaspur. Strategic civilian facilities, including the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, were evacuated as the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abruptly cancelled.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has engaged in high-level diplomacy, speaking with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While the U.S. stressed the need for “immediate de-escalation” and supported “direct dialogue” between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, New Delhi maintained a firm stance.

The Indian government’s response was unequivocal. “India’s military response was in the same domain and with the same intensity,” a government communique read, underscoring that while Operation Sindoor was meant as a precision and non-escalatory strike on terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK, Pakistan’s retaliatory actions have changed the game.

Earlier on Wednesday, India’s Operation Sindoor—conducted in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives—had neutralized nine terror hideouts and approximately 30 terrorists in deep Pakistani territory. The Indian forces followed up with strikes on Pakistani air defence radars and installations in Lahore and beyond, making it one of the most intense military exchanges between the two nations in decades.

India has sent a loud and clear message: any attempt to export terror across its borders will be met with swift, unrelenting force.