India-Pakistan: New blasts trigger blackout in Jammu
Published May 9, 2025last updated May 9, 2025What you need to know
- Overnight Indian shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed five civilians, including a two-year-old girl, Pakistani officials said
- India suspended civilian flights at 24 airports
- India-Pakistan tensions disrupt cricket tournaments
- Drones were sighted over Jammu, Samba and Pathankot on Friday evening, according to media reports
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Below, you can find a roundup of developments from the tensions between India and Pakistan from Friday, May 9:
Fact check: Fake news spreading after India strikes Pakistan
Viral social media posts claim to show India's attacks on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
But some videos are used out of context and are seemingly aimed at stoking tensions even further.
Read DW's full fact-checking report on some of the fake news spreading on social media.
Multiple explosions heard near Srinagar, Indian-administrated Kashmir
Indian officials said 10 explosions were heard near the airport in the city of Srinagar, the most populous city in Indian-administered territory Jammu and Kashmir.
India's NDTV channel reported drones and explosions around the airport, saying that "the drones are being engaged."
The news comes after India warned of a new wave of drone attacks in the region on Friday evening. New Delhi blames the attacks on Pakistan.
India hit targets in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir earlier today.
Drones sighted over Jammu, Samba and Pathankot — reports
Drone attacks were detected over the Kashmir cities of Jammu and Samba, as well as the Punjabi city of Pathankot, according to military forces cited by Indian media outlets.
The unnamed sources also said the military was engaging the drones, according to NDTV and the Indian Express daily.
Previously, officials confirmed sirens going off in Jammu and a new blackout in the city.
The latest reports come after India hit targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, saying that the move was in response to drone attacks from Pakistan.
Islamabad denied attacking India on Thursday.
Head of Jammu and Kashmir tells people in Jammu to hunker down
The chief minister of the India-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, asked the people in Jammu to "please stay off the streets" after blasts and sirens were heard in the city.
"It's my earnest appeal to everyone in & around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours," he wrote online. "Ignore rumours, don't spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories & we will get through this together," Abdullah added.
India-administered Kashmir: Blackout in Jammu, new blasts reported
Witnesses cited by the Reuters news agency reported hearing blasts and seeing projectiles above the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.
"Sirens can be heard across the city," regional leader of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, said in an online post. "Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am."
City officials imposed a new blackout, following a similar move on the previous day.
Indian officials previously accused Pakistan of trying to attack military installations in the area.
India should 'take a hit,' Pakistani military spokesman says after latest exchange
Pakistan's military spokesperson, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Islamabad will not "de-escalate" the clashes with India, following India's most recent strikes on Pakistani territory and inside Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
"We will not de-escalate — with the damages India did on our side, they should take a hit," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
"So far, we have been protecting ourselves, but they will get an answer in our own timing," Chaudhry told reporters.
India accuses Pakistan of hiding behind passenger jets
The Indian military said it has shown "considerable restraint" in what it claims to be a response to Pakistani strikes.
Speaking at a briefing by India's Foreign Ministry, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi criticized Pakistan for not grounding civilian planes during India's bombing. The officer showed screenshots of what she claims is data showing a civilian flight behind Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore.
"Pakistan is using civil airliners as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defense response," she said.
Pakistan has denied conducting drone or missile strikes overnight.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri, one of the country's most senior diplomats, reaffirmed New Delhi's claims that Pakistan had targeted "Indian cities and civilian infrastructure in addition to some military targets."
He dismissed Islamabad's denial as "blatantly farcical."
WATCH: International leaders call on India, Pakistan to deescalate
India has accused Pakistan of launching multiple attacks along India's western border overnight, which Pakistan denies.
There are international calls for the nuclear-armed neighbors to de-escalate. But so far, there is no sign of tensions easing.
Why is Kashmir contested?
When former British India gained independence and was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947, Muslim-majority Kashmir was free to choose which new country to join, or to remain independent.
The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, a Hindu ruler of a Muslim-majority state, initially wanted independence but ultimately chose to accede to India after a Pakistani-backed tribal invasion.
A war erupted and India asked the United Nations to intervene. The UN recommended that they hold a referendum on whether the state would join India or Pakistan. However, neither country could agree on a deal to demilitarize the region ahead of such a vote.
In July 1949, as recommended by the UN, India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire line which eventually became the so-called Line of Control (LoC). following an agreement signed in 1972.
The region became divided into India-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir plus Gilgit-Baltistan. Adding to the complexity, China also controls a portion (Aksai Chin).
Both India and Pakistan still claim full sovereignty over the region.
There have been sporadic conflicts between the two sides over the contested region since then, interspersed with periods of de-escalation.
But the election of the Hindu-nationalist BJP to power in India in 2014 marked a new period of tension. The BJP government responded to a major attack in 2019 by launching cross-border air strikes. Later that year, it revoked Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy, sparking increased protest within the region that was met with repression.
This was followed by a period of relative calm in which Delhi promoted a nascent tourist sector in the region that began to boom until the attack against tourists near the hotspot of Pahalgam on April 22, 2025.
India suspends major cricket tournament
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has suspended its biggest cricket tournament for one week amid clashes with neighboring Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the news, saying the postponement would take effect immediately.
"Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders," according to the BCCI.
The IPL tournament, which is held between March and May, is the most popular in the world. This year's event features top players from Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
The 10-team competition was originally set to conclude on May 25 in Kolkata.
The BCCI statement said that "While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the Nation and its sovereignty, integrity, and security of our country."
Indian government blocks access to independent news website
The Wire, an independent, non-profit news website, accused the Indian government of violating the country's constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press on Friday.
Users attempting to access the site were greeted with a statement from internet service providers reading, "this website has been blocked as per the order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000."
The Wire issued the following statement in response: "We protest this blatant censorship at a critical time for India when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices and sources of news and information are among the biggest assets that India has. We are taking all necessary steps to challenge this arbitrary and inexplicable move."
The Wire was founded by Siddharth Varadarajan — formerly an editor at the English-language daily newspaper The Hindu — in 2015 as a "platform for independent journalism." Varadarajan says the site advocates for the rights of the individual against the power of the state and that it adheres to the constitution of India in all instances regarding its reporting.
Friday's statement vowed, "We will not be deterred from providing truthful and accurate news to all our readers."
India-Pakistan tensions disrupt cricket tournaments
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced that is moving the remaining eight matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 competition to the UAE due to rising military tensions with India.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the shift citing growing concerns among overseas players and the need to ensure players' safety.
The development came after a drone crashed near Rawalpindi Stadium hours before the start of PSL game starring international players.
"The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also interior minister in the Pakistan government, said in a statement announcing the move.
Matches originally set for Rawalpindi, Multan, and Lahore will now be rescheduled in Dubai, with revised dates to follow.
Meanwhile, India's cricket board is reportedly considering suspending the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) amid cross-border hostilities, Reuters reported citing sources. There is no official confirmation yet.
An IPL match in Dharamsala in the northern Himachal Pradesh state was abandoned on Thursday, although officials said it due to a power failure.
The tournament is spread across the country with final is currently scheduled for May 25.
Five civilians killed in Indian shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Overnight Indian shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed five civilians, including a two-year-old girl, Pakistani officials said on Friday.
At least 29 people were injured in the attack near the border, the officials added.
"Indian forces shelled civilian areas...resulting in the deaths of four people, including a two-year-old girl and injuring 12 others," police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district, told the AFP news agency.
A senior government official in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, said a fifth person was killed in Bagh district.
Pakistani officials said the army responded by targeting three Indian posts across the border.
India suspends civilian flights at 24 airports
India late Thursday suspended civilian flights at 24 airports in the north and west amid escalating clashes with Pakistan, the worst in decades.
The list of airports includes Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Amritsar in Punjab and Bikaner and Jodhpur in Rajasthan. All of these Indian states share a border with Pakistan.
Major carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet have canceled over 100 flights since Wednesday. Airlines have warned passengers to expect delays and heightened security, citing a government notification.
The suspension of civilian flights is expected to be lifted on Saturday morning, local media reported.
Indian authorities also directed all ports, shipping terminals and shipyards to increase security measures.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has resumed operations after a suspension at four airports, authorities said.
The move follows Indian airstrikes on "terrorist" camps in Pakistan on Wednesday and subsequent cross-border drone and artillery exchanges.
Almost 50 people, mostly in Pakistan, have been killed since Wednesday.
On Thursday, India and Pakistan accused each other of carrying out waves of drone attacks.
Welcome to our coverage
Tensions between India and Pakistan simmered as India said on Friday that it had repelled a wave of overnight drone and artillery attacks from Pakistan. Islamabad, however, denied carrying out any cross-border strikes.
India on Wednesday launched "Operation Sindoor," a series of targeted airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
India's military said it struck infrastructure used by what it called "terrorists," a claim Pakistan has denied.
One of the worst India-Pakistan crises in years was triggered by an April 22 attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly tourists, near a resort outside the mountain town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Follow for the latest developments and reactions in this blog.