Blackout reimposed in several Punjab districts as precautionary measure

Chandigarh | Punjab reimposed blackout measures in several districts as a precautionary measure after withdrawing it earlier on Saturday.

Blackout measures have been imposed in many districts including Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Pathankot, Patiala, Moga, Kapurthala, and Muktsar districts.

The development came after Pakistan violated the bilateral understanding reached this afternoon to immediately stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea.

The district authorities in Punjab earlier withdrew blackout measures and restrictive orders after India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries teetering on the edge of full scale war.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sahwney said, "Since there are reports of ceasefire violation, we will remain on alert today.

"We will observe a blackout if and when needed. I advise all kindly be prepared for enforcement of blackout if the need arises and be at home. Please do not indulge in bursting of firecrackers. We have done this drill several times, so please do not panic. This is by way of abundant caution."

The Hoshiarpur district administration said that blackout was imposed at 8:50 pm and an air raid siren was sounded.

"Lights off as a measure of abundant precaution. Please cooperate," said a message shared by the district authorities.

In Ferozepur, the district authorities clamped the blackout at 8:40 pm, urging citizens to switch off lights. "Do not need to panic," said a message shared by the administration. The blackout continued till 10:30 pm.

An official in Fazilka said the blackout was enforced at 9:30 pm, while it has been clamped in Rupnagar from 9:30 pm to 5:30 am.

The Ludhiana district administration said, "In view of the change in circumstances, all members of the public are requested to stay indoors and must go for voluntary blackout wherever is possible."

There is no major cause of concern but voluntary blackout must be ensured as a matter of abundant precaution, said the Ludhiana deputy commissioner.

The Sangrur district administration also announced a blackout from 9:10 pm to 11 pm.

In a late night media briefing on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with "seriousness and responsibility".

The armed forces have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the border along the International Border as well as the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

"For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan," he said.

"This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today," Misri said.

The directors general of military operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan agreed to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced in Delhi.

The ceasefire came hours after the militaries of India and Pakistan attacked each other's facilities, dangerously escalating the standoff.

Following the announcement of ceasefire, markets and shops, which earlier remained closed at places including Pathankot and Kapurthala, reopened.

Earlier in the day, debris of unidentified projectiles was found in Beas in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Dubli village in Tarn Taran districts.

In Gurdaspur's village Rajubela Chhichhran, residents said a crater -- around 35 feet wide and 15 feet deep -- was formed following a loud blast in the early hours of Saturday.

A police official said no one was hurt in the incident.

However, there was damage to electrical wires in the incident.

After learning about the crater in the field, many curious villagers, including youngsters, reached the site and started clicking pictures on their mobile phones.

In Phagwara, an unidentified object fell in a field between Khalyan and Sahni villages in the Phagwara district early Saturday, officials said.

Locals said an explosion-like sound was heard around 2.40 am from the fields at the Khalyan village towards Sahni. The impact of the unidentified object created a crater about 7-8 feet deep and 12-14 feet wide in the field, the officials said.

Authorities asked people not to touch any part of any unidentified projectile lying on the ground and to inform the local police about it.

Pathankot went gone into an alert mode after explosion-like sounds were heard in the border district early morning, with the local authorities ordering closure of markets in the region as a precautionary measure.

After a night of bristling tension, people woke up to explosion-like sounds in Pathankot and Jalandhar districts, while air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur amid a sharp upturn in the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

Punjab shares a 553-km-long border with Pakistan.

Besides Pathankot, people had also heard explosion-like sounds in the Jalandhar district on Saturday morning, while air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur, officials said.

In Haryana's Sirsa too, some locals claimed they heard blast-like sounds after midnight.

A police official from the Sirsa district said the debris of unidentified metallic object landed in the fields of a village shortly past midnight. No injury was caused to anyone, he said.

"We were sleeping when we heard a loud sound. In the morning we found a metallic object had fallen in the fields. Later, defence personnel came and collected the debris," a villager said.

An unidentified projectile also landed in a residential area at Kanganiwal village in Jalandhar district early Saturday, officials said.

The locals said a migrant labourer was injured in the incident, while a few houses in the area also sustained damages. Parts of the unidentified object were lying in the area, they said.