India to hold civil defence drills in Pakistan standoff

New Delhi: India will conduct mock civil defence drills on Wednesday, government officials said, as fears rise of a regional conflict following an attack in contested Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on arch-rival Pakistan.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked several states to conduct mock drills for effective civil defence”, Kanchan Gupta, a senior advisor from the information ministry, said in a statement.

Gupta said this would involve rehearsing an “evacuation plan” and the “training of civilians, students, etc., on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack”.

Drills will also test air raid warning sirens, prepare for blackouts, and ready vital installations for camouflage. New Delhi blames Pakistan for an attack on civilians at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, sparking a series of heated threats and diplomatic tit-for-tat measures.

Pakistan rejects the accusations, and has repeatedly made clear it will respond with force to any aggression by India.

Islamabad said on Monday it had conducted a second missile test, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120 kilometres (75 miles).

Also on Monday, India´s army said its troops had exchanged gunfire with Pakistani soldiers overnight across the Line of Control in multiple sites, which it says has taken place every night since April 24.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, with both governing part of the disputed territory separately and claiming it in its entirety.

Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

India regularly blames its neighbour for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir´s struggle for self-determination and regularly denounces rights abuses in the region.