ديجيتال فابلت

الوسم: Haryana

  • India Launches Mock Drills in States Near Pakistan Amid Ceasefire

    India Launches Mock Drills in States Near Pakistan Amid Ceasefire

    Sure! Here’s a rewritten version of the content in American English with a unique touch:

    —

    Civil defense personnel conducting a mock drill in Varanasi on May 7, 2025. —AFP

    • Haryana will conduct mock drills in 22 districts.
    • The drills will simulate critical incidents such as air raids and drone attacks.
    • A controlled blackout will be observed near key installations.

    ISLAMABAD: India is gearing up to hold extensive civil defense mock drills starting tomorrow (Thursday) in four border states just weeks after both nations reached a ceasefire following military tensions.

    According to Indian media sources, the drills will take place in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Punjab, and Gujarat on Thursday evening, as confirmed by authorities.

    The Haryana state government has also announced an island-wide emergency preparedness initiative, dubbed “Operation Shield,” to be executed on May 29 across all 22 districts starting at 5 PM local time, focusing on enhancing crisis readiness.

    Organized under the auspices of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the exercise will mimic critical scenarios such as air raids, drone strikes, and other wartime conditions due to heightened national security concerns, as reported.

    Additionally, a controlled blackout lasting 15 minutes will occur from 8 PM to 8:15 PM near vital facilities, except for essential emergency services like hospitals, fire stations, and police stations.

    Dr. Sumita Misra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Haryana Home Department, stated, “The aim of the exercise is to evaluate existing emergency response mechanisms, enhance collaboration between civil authorities, defense forces, and local communities, and identify areas in need of improvement, ensuring a rapid and effective reaction during any crisis.”

    Previously, a comprehensive mock drill took place on May 7 shortly after India conducted airstrikes in Pakistan, which affected civilian areas, including mosques, resulting in the deaths of 26 civilians.

    The ceasefire was announced by former President Donald Trump following Pakistan’s retaliatory operation known as “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos,” which responded to India’s unprovoked missile and drone assaults on civilian and military sites in Pakistan.

    Pakistan successfully downed six fighter jets, including three Rafale planes, along with several drones. After around 87 hours, the conflict between the two nuclear armed countries ceased on May 10 with a truce brokered by the United States.

    According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a total of 53 individuals, including 13 armed forces members and 40 civilians, lost their lives due to Indian strikes during the recent military escalation.

    The conflict was ignited by an attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month that led to the death of 26 tourists. India has blamed Pakistan without providing substantiating evidence.

    —

    Let me know if you need any further modifications!

  • India Holds Hundreds of Farmers Amid Police Crackdown on Protests

    India Holds Hundreds of Farmers Amid Police Crackdown on Protests

    Farmers seek shelter as police deploy tear gas during a demonstration at the Shambhu border crossing between Punjab and Haryana, India, on February 21, 2024. — Reuters

    In Punjab, a northern state of India, police detained hundreds of farmers and demolished their makeshift camps in a border area where they had been protesting for over a year, demanding improved prices for their crops.

    The protestors had established a presence at the border with Haryana since February of the previous year, following security forces’ obstruction of their march toward New Delhi, where they sought legal guarantees for increased state support for agricultural products.

    “No force was necessary as there was no resistance,” stated Nanak Singh, a senior police official, regarding the eviction operation that took place Wednesday night. “The farmers cooperated and boarded the buses on their own,” he added.

    According to Singh, the farmers had been informed in advance about the operation.

    Television footage captured police using heavy machinery to dismantle tents and stages while guiding farmers with their personal belongings to waiting vehicles.

    Reports indicated that among those arrested were prominent farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the latter of whom required medical assistance due to his prolonged hunger strike.

    “While the government is engaging in talks with farmer groups, it simultaneously arrests their leaders,” Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson for the farmer organization Bhartiya Kisan Union, remarked on social media platform X.

    The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, which sanctioned the eviction, expressed continued support for the farmers’ demands but urged them to address their concerns with the central government. “Let’s collaborate to protect the interests of Punjab,” stated Tarunpreet Singh Sond, the party’s vice president in the state, emphasizing that blocking essential roadways negatively impacts the state’s economy. “Shutting down highways isn’t a solution.”

    In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration was compelled to repeal certain agricultural laws following a year of protests from farmers who had camped outside Delhi for months.

    Federal officials met with farmer leaders on Wednesday, according to Fatehjung Singh Bajwa, vice president of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Punjab. “This arrest appears to be a calculated move to stall the ongoing dialogue between farmers and BJP leadership,” he expressed in a post on X.