'These drone attacks are not attack': Former IAF officer signals a bigger threat

The wave of drone incursions from Pakistan isn’t merely an offensive — it’s reconnaissance, a prelude to something bigger, warns former Indian Air Force officer Ajay Ahlawat.

“These drone attacks are not attacks. These are probes — testing AD [air defence], absorbing electronic signature, understanding reaction time. This is preparation for attack,” Ahlawat wrote on X.

India's western front has been on high alert since Thursday night, after Pakistan launched over 300 drones across 26 locations, including Baramulla, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Bhuj, and Jaisalmer. Armed drones even struck civilian zones, with three civilians seriously injured in Ferozepur, Punjab.

“Pakistan has once again proven that it's a terrorist state,” Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said, calling the strikes “shameful and cowardly.”

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu, three injured civilians sustained severe burns in Ferozepur. The Indian Army stated that most drones were intercepted and destroyed using counter-drone systems.

In response, precautionary blackouts were enforced in multiple regions, including Akhnoor and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, Ferozepur in Punjab, Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and areas of Haryana.

India's defence apparatus is in overdrive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two emergency meetings — one with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval, and another with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the three service chiefs, and Chief of Defence Staff to assess threats and determine a strategic response.

“The situation is under close and constant watch,” the Army said, urging border residents to stay indoors and follow safety directives. “There is no need for panic, but heightened vigilance is essential.”

India’s sophisticated air defence systems, including the S-400, were instrumental in repelling the Pakistani aerial assault.