New Delhi, May 6: India on Tuesday announced a major air exercise along the southern section of the India-Pakistan border, with a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued ahead of the drills scheduled for May 7 and 8.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will carry out intensive aerial operations in Rajasthan as part of its regular operational preparedness efforts. The exercise will begin at 3.30 p.m. on May 7 and continue until 9.30 p.m. on May 8, during which airspace in the region will be restricted to ensure safety and operational integrity.

The move comes in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam last month, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them civilians. The assault was carried out by four terrorists affiliated with The Resistance Front, a known proxy of the Pakistan-based and banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Indian intelligence agencies claim to have definitive evidence implicating the Pakistani "deep state" in orchestrating the attack, further straining already fragile bilateral ties.

In a coordinated response, India has initiated sweeping civil defence drills at nearly 300 strategic locations across the country. These include the national capital Delhi, military installations, oil refineries, hydroelectric dams, and nuclear power plants. This marks the most extensive civil defence preparedness since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Civil defence districts — defined as regions hosting critical infrastructure or armed forces assets — are bracing for possible escalation. These precautions come as speculation mounts over India's next steps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held multiple high-level meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Sources indicate that during one such meeting last week, the Prime Minister granted the military "complete freedom" to devise and implement an armed response to the Pahalgam attack.

--IANS

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