The Indian government has instructed officials across the nation to conduct civil defense drills this Wednesday as precautionary measures amid escalating tensions with neighboring Pakistan.
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have a history of conflicts, have intensified since April 22, when militants attacked in the Indian-administered Kashmir region—claiming 26 lives. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the attackers, a charge Pakistan denies.
India has advocated for military operations targeting what it describes as terrorist safe havens within Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has vowed to retaliate against any such actions.
Recent days have seen exchanges of small-arms fire along the border, accompanied by heightened activity in New Delhi that suggests a potential Indian military strike could be forthcoming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held multiple meetings with military officials, while government representatives have publicly discussed the possibility of action against Pakistan.
On Monday, India’s home ministry issued a directive to all states and union territories mandating drills to evaluate civilian readiness for conflict. The exercises are to take place across 244 designated civil defense districts—areas selected due to their proximity to borders, coastlines, or other vulnerabilities—requiring every village within these districts to participate.
The directive specifies that drills should involve testing air raid sirens and educating civilians on managing power outages and executing evacuations.
Similar preparedness activities have already been conducted near the border, especially in Kashmir, where footage shows schoolchildren practicing duck-and-cover drills and locals maintaining bunkers intended for use during air raids.
