Indian govt orders border states to conduct civil defence mock drills

The Indian government directed its border states to conduct mock security drills on May 7 to assess civil defence readiness in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and rising tensions along the Pakistan border.

According to Indian media, the drills will include training for first responders, implementation of blackout protocols, air raid sirens, and public preparedness exercises at 259 locations across several states.

India’s key border states involved in the exercise include Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, and various states in the Northeast.

The list also mentions cities across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Haryana, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Manipur, and others.

Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has also been included.

Read: Pakistan tests Fatah missile as tensions heighten with India

This marks the first time in 54 years, since 1971, that such widespread drills are being carried out.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a meeting to assess the preparedness for the exercises. Authorities are expected to simulate emergency scenarios to conduct these drills.

However, critics argue that this move is a tactical attempt by the BJP government to distract the public from its intelligence failure in preventing the Pahalgam attack.

The Indian government and media have increasingly engaged in warmongering and anti-Pakistan propaganda, while simultaneously stoking communal hatred. Since the Pahalgam incident, Muslims in India have reported rising incidents of public harassment and violence.

Furthermore, the Indian government has taken provocative steps such as unilaterally suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and advancing hydroelectric power projects in IIOJK by halting the flow of the Chenab River through the Baglihar Dam.