Multiple explosions were heard near Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and in locations across Lahore, Pakistani media channel Samaa TV reported overnight on Friday. The report did not provide any further details. It is unclear what caused the explosions.
Pakistan Air Force Base, Nur Khan is located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab province.
This comes as tensions between India and Pakistan have risen over the past week. India launched its Operation Sindoor overnight on Tuesday, attacking nine terror targets in Pakistan. The strikes lasted from 1:05 AM to 1:30 AM on May 7, and were carried out jointly by the Indian Army and the Air Force.
Read More: India foils Pakistani attack on military bases day after Operation Sindoor
In a press briefing, Colonel Sophia Qureshi said the operation marked a shift in strategy after the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.
“For the last three decades, Pakistan has been constructing terror infrastructure, including recruitment centres, training areas, and launch pads across PoJK and Pakistan. This operation was intended to dismantle those facilities and prevent future attacks,” she said.
On Friday evening, authorities confirmed that security forces thwarted multiple attacks by Pakistani drones in Punjab’s Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, and Amritsar districts. Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh said a crashing projectile from the Pakistani drone destroyed by the air defense system landed at a house in Village Khai Pheme Ke.
Read More: Turkey, Azerbaijan back Pakistan after Operation Sindoor; Qatar urges restraint
Local authorities ordered complete blackouts in areas around the India-Pakistan border.
“Keep your lights completely switched off. Keep the lights of mobile phones, cameras and inverter sets switched off. Cover windows with curtains. Cooperate with the district administration. We are for your safety,” a police official could be heard saying in Pathankot, according to a PTI report.
Meanwhile, 32 airports across northern and western parts of India were closed for civilian flight operations till May 15, according to the civil aviation regulator. These included Amritsar and Srinagar. Earlier, at least 24 airports had been ordered shut for civilian flight operations till May 10.
