Operation Sindoor: Punjab's Gurdaspur orders complete blackout in the district

The Gurdaspur District Administration’s order for a complete blackout from 9:00 pm on May 8 to 5:00 am on May 9 came hours before the Indian government confirmed that the Indian Armed Forces had targeted air defence radars and systems at multiple locations in Pakistan.

In an official statement released Thursday, the Ministry of Defence revealed that a key air defence system in Lahore had been “neutralised.” This development follows India’s targeted military strikes under Operation Sindoor, which hit several terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday.

"Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan," the government said, underscoring the nature of the counter-operations.


According to the same statement, Pakistan had attempted to engage multiple military targets across Northern and Western India during the night of May 7–8. The targets included Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj. The attempts reportedly involved drones and missiles.

Read more: India strikes back after Pakistan tried to hit military targets on May 7-8 night

On Wednesday night, Amritsar also enforced a blackout as part of a nationwide civil defence drill aimed at boosting public preparedness in case of future threats.

“Taking utmost caution, the Amritsar district administration has again started the blackout process,” the District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) told news agency, urging citizens to stay indoors and switch off exterior lights.

Similar mock blackout drills were conducted in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, where prominent landmarks like Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vijay Chowk went dark. Raj Bhavan in Patna and various locations in cities like Barmer, Gwalior, Surat, Shimla, and Patna also participated.

Operation Sindoor Live Updates: Pakistan tried to hit military targets on May 7-8 night

Earlier in the same day, civil defence drills were observed in major urban centres including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Delhi, testing emergency response protocols and citizen cooperation.