Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: Amid rapidly escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan, cross-border shelling by Pakistan on Saturday caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, sparking panic among residents.
Multiple explosions were reported across the region, damaging homes and triggering widespread alarm.
“One injured person has been brought here. Doctors and the entire team are ready. His treatment began immediately,” said Farukh Ahmed Wani, the security in-charge at the local hospital. Officials confirmed that the injured civilian was evacuated and is currently receiving treatment.
Strikes were reported in the vicinity of the Aap Shambhu Temple in Rajouri. Jammu Police, along with other security agencies, recovered projectile debris from the impact sites. Eyewitnesses described seeing columns of smoke rising after loud blasts rocked the area.
Meanwhile, in Punjab, a drone-linked explosion damaged a home in Kanganiwal village in Jalandhar.
Surjeet Kaur, a local resident, recounted the terrifying moment:
“A red coloured flash came above our house and there was a huge explosion. We got scared. Everything was dark. We came out of our houses after a short while and saw that the water tank above our houses and our neighbours’ houses had exploded. There was a blackout at that time, and all the lights were off.”
Top government sources confirmed that India launched retaliatory strikes on at least four airbases inside Pakistan in the early hours of Saturday, responding to Pakistan’s earlier attacks on 26 Indian locations.
The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, detailed the scale of the aerial threat:
“Drones have been sighted at 26 locations along the International Border and LoC with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala. Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance, and security forces have sanitised the area.”
The statement further noted:
“The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch & prompt action is being taken wherever necessary. Citizens, especially in border areas, are advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential.”
Earlier, on the night of May 7–8, Indian defence systems successfully repelled a large-scale drone and missile attack from Pakistan targeting key Indian military installations across the northern and western sectors. A Pakistani air defence system in Lahore was also neutralised in those operations.
These hostilities follow the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 Indian lives. India responded with precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). With Pakistan escalating further, India continues to respond with coordinated and forceful military action.