India to conduct major air exercise along international border with Pakistan
New Delhi/IBNS: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct large-scale military drills in Rajasthan, along the international border with Pakistan, a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued on Tuesday evening said.
The drills will begin at 9.30 pm on Wednesday and end around five and a half hours later, during which time flights departing or landing at airports close to the border will be suspended, media reports said.
India issues a NOTAM for a fairly large air exercise along the southern section of its border with Pakistan
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) May 6, 2025
Date 07-08 May 2025 pic.twitter.com/1TnccuRQ54
The NOTAM and the war games come as India flexes its military muscles amid heightened tension with Pakistan over the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead.
The war games also coincide with the 'civil defence' drill to be conducted across all states in India.
Civil defence preparations for military strikes by another nation have not not taken place in India since the 1971 war with Pakistan.
These drills will take place at nearly 300 locations in the country, including the national capital and power plants, military bases, refineries, and hydroelectric dams.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for the second time in the last few days as speculation continues over Delhi's military response.
This is one of the several meetings the Prime Minister has been holding over the last few days while a possible military retaliation against the terror attack is widely speculated.
Modi met Doval and other key officials, including the Defence Secretary, Home Secretary, and other officials at his official residence on Monday evening.
The Prime Minister has also met the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Modi had earlier warned that those involved in carrying out and plotting the terror attack would get the harshest of punishment, and his sentiment has been echoed by political leaders across party lines.
In line with his commitment, he had earlier given full operational freedom to the armed forces.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured the nation that "what you desire will certainly happen", dropping a significant hint about India's next move.
In an immediate response, India suspended the landmark Indus River water-sharing treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah road border, which acts as a lifeline of Indo-Pak trade and people-to-people ties, besides expelling diplomats, downsizing high commissions, and issuing a 48-hour deadline to Pakistani visa holders present in India to leave.
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