- 5/8/2025
Pakistan has launched a major attack on Jammu, targeting the airport and civilian areas with drones, missiles, and artillery fire. Multiple explosions have rocked the city, which is under blackout. India has shot down a Pakistani F-16 and two JF-17 fighter jets.
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00:00:00Two Pakistani drones have been shot down near the Jammu University.
00:00:05We are being told that Pakistani missiles have also been destroyed using the S-400 systems.
00:00:11That's right. The big story that's breaking at the moment as Gaurav has been reporting it for the last several minutes
00:00:17is that the Jammu civil airport under attack.
00:00:20Eight missiles intercepted by India's S-400 missiles.
00:00:24Multiple blasts reported in Jammu. Drone attacks on Udhampur-Aknur-Pathankot that have been repelled.
00:00:31Two parked drones have been shot down near Jammu University.
00:00:36That's the big story that's coming in at the moment.
00:00:39From every angle we are exploring it, our reporters are on the ground tracking all those images coming in.
00:00:46Gaurav is still with us. Also joining me is Raj Chengappa, India Today's editorial director.
00:00:51And Sandeep Unithan is still with us.
00:00:54Over the next couple of hours, we will bring you every detail of what is happening on the ground.
00:00:59Kamaljeet Sandhu and Mir Farid virtually in a way Gaurav in the line of fire in a sense.
00:01:05What are you seeing around you Mir Farid at the moment where you are?
00:01:09Well, Rajdeep, it's breaking news per minute we're getting right now.
00:01:17I can now tell you that some drones have been spotted in Gulmarg as well and air defense system has been activated there.
00:01:23In Jammu, as you rightly said, near Jammu University, two drones have been shot down.
00:01:27The state-of-the-art air defense system, including S-400s, have been activated in Jammu.
00:01:34These batteries have been activated and they're trying to destroy these projectiles in the air.
00:01:40They have succeeded while doing so in some cases, while in others with sheer intensity of fire.
00:01:46The rockets that have rained in near and around the Jammu airport, then in Sambha, the LUC areas, IB,
00:01:53you have a very strong arty fire backed by medium machine guns that are pounding as far as Pakistan is concerned
00:02:02and are being retaliated in equal measure by the Indian Army and the BSF.
00:02:06I can also tell you that as far as LUC in Kashmir is concerned,
00:02:09Tangdar, Karan sectors are again seeing very heavy artillery fire from the Pakistani side.
00:02:14This has happened just 15-20 minutes back.
00:02:17Indian Army is retaliating and there are reports coming in from various other sectors which have gone hot.
00:02:24So, it is not just escalation as far as Jammu airport, which is a massive one,
00:02:29but there are various sectors that have been activated in different ways by Pakistan.
00:02:35So, this is retaliation as was expected and Jammu being very close to the IB and being an easy target,
00:02:41especially the Jammu technical airport, which is also a defense airport, has been targeted through drones as well.
00:02:47Now, obviously, there are many drones that have been sighted.
00:02:52Their air defense batteries are trying their best to shoot them down before they cause any damage.
00:02:58But Jammu also, there is a blackout, power supply has been cut.
00:03:02There are also reports that mobile connectivity is, mobiles are not working in various areas, landlines are also down.
00:03:10So, a lot happening in Jammu right now.
00:03:13But people, as they have been advised, they are lying low and they are trying to save themselves because this is a barrage of fire.
00:03:21Let me stop you for a moment.
00:03:22I want to go to the other correspondents as well.
00:03:24Kamaljeet Sandhu is going to be joining us, Pooja Shali.
00:03:27But first you, Gaurav, because you know this situation better than most.
00:03:31Give us a sense of what this means in terms of the escalatory ladder.
00:03:35The fact now, give us the kind of equipment the Pakistanis have used and what the Indian forces are doing to repel this unprovoked Pakistani attack on Jammu airport and, dare one say, even in civil infrastructure in Jammu city.
00:03:51Rajdeep, this is a grave provocation and an escalation because India had only targeted terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
00:04:02Pakistan then, late last night, launched a massive attack at 15 different locations from Srinagar to Avantipur to Punjab to Rajasthan to Gujarat at military stations and especially air force.
00:04:14Because the air force had targeted all these locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
00:04:20After that, when India took down Pakistan's air defense system, especially in and around Lahore, and sent across signatures of being able to target even Rawalpindi through that cricket stadium that was targeted through the Harrop,
00:04:32Pakistan has now launched a massive escalation which is targeting an airport, which is also a civilian airport.
00:04:39And rockets are being fired one after the other. When I was covering Israel's war on Hamas, Hamas would fire rockets like this, quick salvos one after the other,
00:04:48that even if the iron dome can take down some, some rockets will still succeed in hitting various civilian areas or vital assets and vital points.
00:04:56That is the strategy that Pakistan is right now adopting.
00:04:59And the S-400 system, which is India's Sudarshan Chakra, the shield that succeeded in taking down two drones, multiple rockets, but some still will get past it and strike areas.
00:05:09So, it's a major escalation. What you are saying, clearly in comparison to even what we saw last night, where as you said, several parts of the border areas were targeted by drones from Pakistan.
00:05:21This is a major escalation that has taken place. Kamaljeet, you are there in one of the border areas. What are you seeing around you at the moment?
00:05:30Well, this is bad news as far as India is concerned, because remember, Pakistan is pounding and this is artillery as well as the drone attack,
00:05:42which is simultaneously happening in several of the locations. Let me tell you, Udampur, Jammu, Akhnur and even Pathankot.
00:05:48Now, remember, Pathankot Air Base has intercepted several of the drones which have been coming in.
00:05:53The sky is lit. And meanwhile, the massive fire is particularly in Jammu and Samba region.
00:05:59So, this is a massive fire which has been opened by Pakistan. It's almost like a declaration of war.
00:06:05Remember, today there was earlier Operation Sindhu Part 2, where after we saw drones as well as missiles being launched here in India and targeting 15 cities.
00:06:15This is something that was anticipated by Pakistan, but Pakistan has now targeted not just the civil area,
00:06:22because also Jammu is a defense airport. Pathankot is again an air force airport.
00:06:28So, all these are important installations which have come under the radar of Pakistani army and the artillery and the drone, simultaneous drone attack.
00:06:37Now, what we know is there could be escalation further up in the other sectors.
00:06:41We've seen that happen in Punch and Rijori, where we are currently.
00:06:44But this is a night which is going to be extremely important and vital the next 24 hours,
00:06:50because one is not just Pakistan's response, but also India's counter-attack on Pakistan.
00:06:56This is no less than...
00:06:57I want to stop you. I want to stop you for a moment,
00:07:02because what we are seeing at the moment in those visuals, Gaurav,
00:07:05is a residential area from where smoke is billowing.
00:07:09So, we've got a situation now where Pakistan has clearly gone way up on the escalatory spiral.
00:07:15We saw artillery fire that was directed on innocent civilians in Punch.
00:07:1916 civilians died.
00:07:20Now, we see the Pakistani armed forces targeting civilian areas.
00:07:25India has made it very clear right through from day one that their entire operations were de-escalatory and measured
00:07:31and designed to target terror bases.
00:07:34Pakistan has gone the other way around, both in the border areas and now even in Jammu,
00:07:39targeting civilian areas, that smoke which is billowing from a residential area.
00:07:43We seem to be having gone in 24 hours from last night, Gaurav, right up an escalatory spiral.
00:07:51We indeed have. In fact, right now, one drone has hit the Jammu airport.
00:07:55So, that's a major hit.
00:07:56And Indian Air Force has scrambled fighter jets.
00:07:58The moment Indian Air Force scrambles fighter jets, this clearly cannot be defensive.
00:08:02There is punitive strike that will take place, I'm certain, on Pakistan.
00:08:06We do not know the nature of the fighter jets that have been scrambled.
00:08:08And it's never usually one or two in buddy pairs.
00:08:11There will be a package that's scrambled, which means there's either an incoming...
00:08:15And, you know, both Raj Chikappa and Sandeep Unidhan can weigh in on this.
00:08:19There would be a package that's coming in from the Pakistani side.
00:08:21They could be sending their drones.
00:08:23They could be sending their fighters.
00:08:24If Indian Air Force has scrambled a fighter jet, Rajdeep, there is major escalation that's taking place even as we speak.
00:08:29Let's get in Sandeep Unidhan, who really tracks defense very closely.
00:08:34Sandeep, give us a sense in pure war game theory in a way.
00:08:39What happens now?
00:08:40We are seeing Pakistan taking this battle into Jammu with the drone's missile attacks.
00:08:46What does India do?
00:08:47What does India have?
00:08:48We have already heard reports of some of the drones being shot down, intercepted.
00:08:52Yesterday, as Gaurab said, the Sudarshan Chakra, this entire shield that India had, had ensured that these drones could not achieve the targets that Pakistan had.
00:09:02What happens now and what are we seeing?
00:09:04Well, Rajdeep, I'm very sure that the entire air defense grid has been activated from Jammu right down to Gujarat.
00:09:13And this could possibly be the beginning of your major Pakistani strike.
00:09:20The, you know, strikes normally never are isolated.
00:09:23This could just well be a deception plan.
00:09:26This could be a distraction to focus our attention on Jammu while they strike from elsewhere.
00:09:30So the Air Force, the Army, all our ground units, all our radars, all our aircraft up in the air, the airborne early warning systems will all be looking for signs of Pakistani aircraft trying to break in and stage another kind of attack that they did 24 hours back.
00:09:46So this is very, very grave, the kind of provocation that they have unleashed, firing, ripple firing what appear to be Pakistani BM-21 grad rockets.
00:09:57These are being ripple fired into civilian areas.
00:10:01They're targeting civilian infrastructure in the soft underbelly of Jammu, Rajdeep.
00:10:06And this is the kind of visuals that we have seen from Israel, we've seen it from Iraq, and now we're seeing it in Jammu.
00:10:13So this is a grave provocation indeed.
00:10:15And, you know, the speed at which we are climbing up the escalatory ladder, you know, it's going in from, you know, from strike to counter-strike to counter-counter-strike.
00:10:25Not in days, now it's happening in hours.
00:10:28And there is going to be an Indian retaliation for this.
00:10:30I'm sure the planners are looking at this, they're studying their grids, they're looking at where Pakistan is probing, where they're trying to strike, where they're pushing aircraft.
00:10:38Everything is being studied in real time, Rajdeep.
00:10:40And surely there will be a retaliation for what they just did, possibly in the next couple of hours.
00:10:47Because as I was telling Gaurav earlier, the space for retaliation, the retaliatory strikes is coming down from days into hours.
00:10:54These timelines, these, you know, are being compressed even as we speak.
00:10:59The entire air defence grid is on a state of very high alert.
00:11:03And, you know, it's incidents like this that prove that Pakistan is trying to be the unpredictable non-state actor that it seems to have become in the last couple of days.
00:11:13We are also getting visuals there from Jaisalmer Gaurav.
00:11:15So what you are seeing is now all the border areas on high alert, not just the Jammu sector, but it's spreading across the border areas to Rajasthan as well.
00:11:24Some of those images coming in from Rajasthan.
00:11:26And there's a word, Gaurav, that we've been very careful to use, the three-letter word war.
00:11:30What we are seeing, though, is we are going up an escalatory spiral, and it's often difficult to climb off that.
00:11:36Give us a sense, therefore, of when you said India's air defence systems that are in place.
00:11:42Give our viewers a sense of what India has in place to ensure that this Pakistan attack is combated.
00:11:48So, Rajdeep, let's look at it at different levels.
00:11:51Jaisalmer hotting up or explosions being heard in Jaisalmer is the Western Front opening up.
00:11:57Jammu and Kashmir usually is considered one part of the story which is manageable because it's 200 kilometers of the international border,
00:12:04but the rest of it, 770 kilometers, is the line of control, which has seen even artillery exchanges and that limited war in Kargil.
00:12:11But Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, that is the international border where you last saw action only in 1971.
00:12:19Even in 1987, when you had Operation Brastax, the armies came close, but the Pakistanis backed off because General Ziaul Haq realised he cannot fight a war.
00:12:28General Asim Munir is perhaps even more radicalised than Ziaul Haq, he knows he cannot fight and yet is attempting to do so.
00:12:34So, there will be consequences and punitive consequences for him, not just in Jammu, not just in Lahore, not just in Mureetke and Bahawalpur,
00:12:42but now since he's targeted Rajasthan, then there will be consequences.
00:12:46It can be in Sindh, it can be in Punjab, it can be anywhere in Pakistan, it can be through the Arabian Sea now.
00:12:52We're going to go to our reporters in a moment, but a quick word from you, Raj Chengappa.
00:12:55The last India Today magazine cover presciently had Asim Munir on the cover as the jihadi general.
00:13:01We're seeing someone who clearly seems to be itching for a conflict and is pushing his country and thereby us also on an escalatory spiral,
00:13:09despite all the warnings that we've given in the last few days saying, look, we do not want to go up this escalatory spiral.
00:13:15He started with Pahlgaam, but you're pushing us deeper and deeper.
00:13:18And now what we're seeing suggests that we are seeing the Pakistanis upping the ante once again, which will force an Indian retaliation.
00:13:27Well, Rajdeep, it was in some senses, as Sandeep said, he's an unpredictable general who will do rational things that is there.
00:13:36And if you see his track record as well.
00:13:38First story, Rajdeep, if I may interrupt you, a Pakistani F-16 has been shot down.
00:13:42That's a huge, huge development that is taking place right now.
00:13:46Even as we speak, a Pakistan Air Force F-16, perhaps Block 52, has been shot down.
00:13:53And this just shows how the Indian armed forces, way superior, way superior to Pakistan, if a Pakistani F-16 is shot down,
00:14:02it just means India is so on top of this escalation ladder with our, whether it's the Rafals, whether it's the SUTHA TMKIs,
00:14:10whether it's the S-400 systems and Rajdeep, they operate in tandem.
00:14:14They operate, they're all so integrated that it's almost impossible for Pakistan to penetrate through India's air defences.
00:14:21F-16 being shot down is huge.
00:14:24That's right. Raj, you want a quick word?
00:14:26No, I mean, it's a really developing story.
00:14:29It's going way, way beyond any playbook that anyone would have thought of.
00:14:32The fact that it has escalated to this level within two days.
00:14:35If you looked at the past, if you looked at Uri, there was a strike across, a surgical strike, and that very quickly died down.
00:14:41If you looked at, for instance, what happened in Balukot, within two days of settlement.
00:14:47I'm stopping you again because Sandeep Unithan has warned you.
00:14:50Sandeep, what do you want to tell us?
00:14:51Well, Rajdeep, the Pakistan military spokesperson seems to be saying that they have lost two JF-17 fighter jets
00:14:59in the course of Operation Sindhu.
00:15:02That's a very big admission from them, where the JF-17, as you know,
00:15:07is Pakistan's equivalent of the light combat aircraft.
00:15:10They have over 100 of them.
00:15:12Pakistan admitting that they lost two JF-17s is a very, very big move, where he says that the operation saw intense engagement along the eastern corridor.
00:15:23And he says that we regret to confirm that two JF-17s were lost during active duty.
00:15:30Their loss is not just in numbers, but an emotional push, he calls it.
00:15:34So you've lost two JF-17s, you've lost an F-16.
00:15:39Presumably, therefore, the Pakistanis are suffering losses in the kind of airstrikes they've attempted, the Operation Sindhu, as they're calling it.
00:15:46Gaurav, you want to respond to what we're...
00:15:49Give us a match-up between what India has on the ground and what the Pakistanis are trying to do.
00:15:56So, Pakistanis have actually tried to modernize their air force very extensively.
00:16:01But since they do not have money and they do not have the kind of contacts that are required,
00:16:06they're heavily reliant on the Chinese equipment.
00:16:08And Chinese often don't give the best to Pakistanis.
00:16:11They give them the second best or something that isn't the latest.
00:16:15For example, even the J-20s, the stealth fighters that the Pakistanis got, was the older version.
00:16:20Chinese kept the best for themselves, gave them what was older.
00:16:23When you talk of the JF-17s, they're good aircraft, and especially the Block 3 of the JF-17 Thunders,
00:16:29especially with their, you know, the long-range missiles, their beyond-visual-range missiles, they're actually very good.
00:16:37But then the Indian Rafals, the Sukhoi 30s, the Jaguars, the Mirages and Rajdeep,
00:16:43the big advantage with India is our aircraft don't operate either solo or in buddy pairs.
00:16:48They operate as a big package.
00:16:50And they have the AWACS eyes in the sky.
00:16:52They have the mid-air refuelers.
00:16:54They have the fighters.
00:16:56They protect each other.
00:16:57And then they mount the attack.
00:16:59And that is where the JF-17s, perhaps two of them have been shot down.
00:17:03We are also told one, F-16 has been shot down.
00:17:05That's a huge loss for Pakistan in a single-day Rajdeep.
00:17:08I'm going to Sunil Bhatt.
00:17:09He's on the ground.
00:17:10Sunil, what are you seeing around you?
00:17:12Because Jammu was the town which was targeted.
00:17:15The airport was targeted.
00:17:16We are told civic infrastructure was targeted.
00:17:19What are you seeing around you?
00:17:20Rajdeep, the situation is very tense across Jammu City right now.
00:17:27And the place where I am reporting right now from, you can see I am myself hiding behind a wall.
00:17:35And right now also I can hear loud explosions.
00:17:38The situation is very grim right now, Rajdeep.
00:17:40And it becomes very difficult to even walk.
00:17:43The earth is shaking.
00:17:45And there is massive and loud explosions.
00:17:48What we are learning from our sources so far is that Pakistan tried to target Jammu airport.
00:17:55And the drones have been shot down.
00:17:57That's what we are learning that we have successfully shot down the drones.
00:18:00But heavy shelling is being reported from different parts of...
00:18:05Right.
00:18:07Sunil Ji Bhatt stays safe.
00:18:09He's in a space where clearly it's not easy.
00:18:14Sunil, can you hear us?
00:18:16Yes, yes, Rajdeep.
00:18:17Tell me.
00:18:18Go ahead.
00:18:19Tell us what you are seeing around you.
00:18:20What you are hearing.
00:18:22Rajdeep, there is total blackout in Jammu City.
00:18:24And right now, even for this broadcast, I have lit up a torch so that I can be visible to you.
00:18:31And what I am hearing right now is that loud explosions.
00:18:35And I spoke to some people, some officials.
00:18:39And what we are learning that Pakistan has resorted to heavy artillery shelling all along the India-Pakistan international border.
00:18:48Whether it's Jammu district, Samba, Kathua, in Araspura, in Samba district.
00:18:52And people are in immense panic.
00:18:55There is total blackout in Jammu.
00:18:58And there is darkness all around.
00:19:00People have confined themselves to their homes.
00:19:05Darkness all around.
00:19:06People confined to homes.
00:19:07Pooja Shali joins me.
00:19:09She is someone who knows the city of Jammu well.
00:19:11She is from that city.
00:19:13Pooja, what are you picking up from people that you know in Jammu?
00:19:17Rajdeep, so all of my extended family, most of my extended family resides in Jammu City.
00:19:22We were in fact in conversation with one family.
00:19:25When there was an immediate blackout, we could hear sounds in the background.
00:19:28These are residential, densely populated locations.
00:19:31There was an immediate panic.
00:19:33And then I have been consistently receiving videos of projectiles through Jammu City.
00:19:38These are residential areas, especially close to the airport.
00:19:41Of course, I will not reveal the exact location.
00:19:44But this means this is a direct hit at civilians.
00:19:46Now, I have also spoken to a senior administration official of Jammu who has confirmed to me that the threat has been neutralized, that the blackout that is across the city is precautionary for now.
00:19:57They are ensuring the armed forces are on the job.
00:19:59Administration is assuring that the citizens are safe.
00:20:03Casualties have not been reported as of now.
00:20:05But this, remember, for innocent people of a city of Jammu.
00:20:09And this is also one of the reasons, because it's close to the international border.
00:20:13The outskirts of Jammu is very close to the international border.
00:20:16One of the reasons that possibly these strikes have happened.
00:20:19Absolutely unfortunate.
00:20:20Incredible people of Jammu.
00:20:22I am stopping you for a moment, because I want to go back to Sunil Ji Bhatt, who is actually in the, literally in the line of fire.
00:20:29He is in a bunker at the moment, because he's had to, he, around him, as you said a short while ago, you're hearing explosions, you're hearing gunfire around you.
00:20:40Tell us what, tell us more, Sunil, where you are at the moment and what you're hearing.
00:20:46Okay, the line, lines come down.
00:20:49We'll go to Amit Bhardwaj, who's also in one of the areas, one of the locations where we are hearing artillery fire as well.
00:20:59Amit, what are you hearing around you?
00:21:05Well, Rajdeep, you know, ever since Operation Sindur, what we saw that in the Uri sector,
00:21:12Pakistan had resorted to heavy artillery and shelling, especially in villages like Salamabad.
00:21:20And right now, as I speak, the entire city in the Uri sector, there's blackout.
00:21:27And we are also learning that in Kupwala, there's heavy artillery and shelling that is happening.
00:21:32And in the city of Baramula, there's complete blackout as a precautionary measure.
00:21:36When I was leaving Baramula for Srinagar this evening, what we saw that the armed forces and the administration was in a complete hurdle.
00:21:44The security was beefed up right since 2.03 in the noon itself because there were anticipation that, you know,
00:21:51there could be some kind of retaliation against Pakistan resorting to cowardly act of artillery shelling,
00:21:57heavy shelling in the areas of Uri sector, Peer Panjal and Baramula areas where they have the reach and access
00:22:05through their artilleries and shelling.
00:22:07And precisely that is what is happening at this moment in Kupwala.
00:22:10So, in the Uri sector as well, we are seeing a complete blackout in the Uri sector.
00:22:19Gaurav, there are two points to this.
00:22:20One is the artillery firing that has constantly continued across the border areas and that's gone on now for 48 to 72 hours.
00:22:27But when you hear of an F-16 that's been shot down, what does that mean?
00:22:31Have Pakistanis at all at any stage violated Indian airspace, whether it was last night or today?
00:22:37Not last night, according to information that we have their drones attempted to, their missiles attempted to,
00:22:43but they were brought down.
00:22:45The debris has fallen in our territory.
00:22:48So, you know, their missiles and rockets and drones violated our territory and when it was shot down.
00:22:55And a lot of debris has been recovered.
00:22:56So, for example, in Bhuj, in Rajasthan, in Nal, which is near Bikaner, in Falodi, in Avantipura, in Kashmir,
00:23:04in also in Punjab, all of this and Adampur, a lot of debris has been recovered.
00:23:11In Patinda, debris has been recovered.
00:23:13Some was recovered this morning in Amrit, sir, for example.
00:23:16Absolutely.
00:23:16So, you've hit the nail on its head.
00:23:18That's an act of war.
00:23:19That's an act of provocation because India hadn't targeted military targets.
00:23:21Now, if they're losing JF-17s and F-16s, which means either India has used the beyond visual range missiles,
00:23:29we have the meteors on the Rafals, and they can hit a target 100 kilometers plus away,
00:23:35as can, you know, the PL-15s of the Pakistan Air Force on the JF-17s.
00:23:41You know, they have beyond visual range missiles themselves.
00:23:44So, it's a very, very critical stage of battle.
00:23:46Rajdeep, if I may just, this is the first time that there's a war like this that's being fought,
00:23:50air-to-air battle with beyond visual range missiles with the latest technology
00:23:53between two nuclear weapon states.
00:23:55It's never been done before in history.
00:23:58I want to go at that moment.
00:23:59That's a good point to go to Group Captain Rajiv Kumar Narang.
00:24:02He's Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis.
00:24:05Group Captain, what are we seeing when, as Gaurav said, we are seeing these two well-equipped
00:24:13air forces battling each other out.
00:24:17It happened two nights ago.
00:24:18It's happening again.
00:24:19Give us a sense of what, according to you, is the air power that India has to combat what we are seeing.
00:24:28But before that, I want to go back to Sunil Ji, but I'll come to Group Captain Narang in a moment.
00:24:33But Sunil, you're there at ground zero.
00:24:37Tell us what you're hearing and seeing.
00:24:43Rajdeep, multiple explosions, you know, have rocked Jammu City.
00:24:48And it's the Jammu Airport that was on target.
00:24:51That's what we are learning.
00:24:53And our sources are telling us that Pakistan's desperate attempt to target Jammu Airport has been foiled.
00:25:00There were drones which Pakistan had sent and those drones have been shot down.
00:25:06Although it's becoming very difficult to roam around right now to go to streets because even right now, Rajdeep, it's very difficult for me to stand.
00:25:15Because it seems that as if earth is shaking, explosion after explosion I'm hearing right now at the place where I'm, you know, I'm literally hiding myself behind a wall.
00:25:27There is a total blackout in Jammu, total blackout around you.
00:25:31There is a total blackout in Jammu City right now.
00:25:34Yes, yes, yes, Rajdeep, there is total blackout.
00:25:37And hardly we can spot anyone.
00:25:40The people who were out are, you know, rushing to their homes in panic.
00:25:45Authorities have advised people not to venture out and stay inside.
00:25:50There are, you know, volunteers from civil defense groups.
00:25:53They are also active.
00:25:54And they are asking people to confine themselves to their homes, not to venture out as situation is getting worse.
00:26:01There is heavy shelling right now going on.
00:26:04Pakistan has resorted to heavy shelling in residential areas along the India-Pakistan international border.
00:26:10Rajdeep, even right now I'm hearing loud explosions.
00:26:13I will just ask my camera person to just move around and move to a safer...
00:26:17Again, Rajdeep, explosion after explosion, loud explosions are being heard.
00:26:34And cities under attack.
00:26:37And Pakistan has resorted to heavy shelling.
00:26:40And it seems that some of these water shells may have even reached Jammu City.
00:26:45So Pakistan is rattled.
00:26:48Pakistan is targeting innocent civilians, non-combatants in Jammu.
00:26:53Rajdeep.
00:26:54Stay safe there, Sunil.
00:26:56But I want to go to Shivani Sharma, who is also at one of the areas along...
00:27:04which is in the line of fire.
00:27:07Shivani, tell us what you are seeing, where you are at the moment.
00:27:10Where there's complete blackout right after the reports of drone attack in Jammu and other places close to Jammu.
00:27:21And here, so far, there is no air activity.
00:27:24The whole atmosphere seems to be quite silent.
00:27:27But there are precautions at place.
00:27:28The blackout is there.
00:27:30And what we are learning is that all the attacks that were headed towards Jammu and other places...
00:27:35have been utilised by the air defence system.
00:27:38That's the report we are getting.
00:27:40Air defence systems, that's the report we are getting.
00:27:43And there's a report of F-16 being downed by the Indian forces.
00:27:47And all the deployments on ground are at place.
00:27:51While the aircraft, the fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been scrambled in this whole operation that's ongoing.
00:27:58And we also hear heavy shelling happening at Punsh right now.
00:28:02Though we checked in Uri sector, there's no heavy shelling reported as of now through the sources.
00:28:07And in Jaisalmer also, we are hearing that shelling is taking place along with some kind of movement that needs to be reported or confirmed by the forces.
00:28:17But yes, the area remains operationalised, complete western border from Punjab to Rajasthan to Punsh, Jammu to the areas adjoining.
00:28:28They all are under threat, but they are being countered.
00:28:32These threats are being countered with the aerial air defence systems, the S-400s that already have neutralised several such attempts by Pakistan yesterday night too.
00:28:42And the situation remains developing.
00:28:45We are getting updates every minute.
00:28:47And the Indian forces are keeping an eye.
00:28:50And what we are learning, that there's been no damage as of now of these attacks that were implicated towards the Jammu and Samba region and Pathankore too.
00:28:59Rajti.
00:29:00We've also got the Srinagar airport on high alert at the moment.
00:29:04Just got up for a moment the significance of what's happening in Jammu.
00:29:07What, you know, as you can see, Sunil Ji Bhatt is in an area where clearly he faces a threat to his life.
00:29:15And all that we can say, Sunil, is that we don't need dramatic visuals.
00:29:19We want you to be safe above all else, above everything else.
00:29:22But give us a sense why Jammu is so significant in this escalatory spiral that we've seen over the last 48 hours.
00:29:31Pakistan's dream has been to cut India off from Jammu and Kashmir, from Akhnoor, from Jammu.
00:29:37That's where they've always attempted their land assault.
00:29:40And their land assault has been preceded by massive artillery strikes or an airstrike in the Jammu-Akhnoor area.
00:29:48And distance from the international border, Gaurav?
00:29:51Well, it's 200 kilometers of international border in Jammu, you know, in that Jammu belt in some places.
00:29:58So, for example, Sialkot is barely six kilometers away from the international border.
00:30:03Jammu city is a little on the inside, but in the Jammu area.
00:30:06So, if you talk about Samba or Ranbir Singh Pura, they're practically at Hira Nagar.
00:30:11They're practically at the international border where the BSF is deployed.
00:30:14And then you come all the way up to Akhnoor.
00:30:16From Akhnoor, it's the line of control that starts.
00:30:18But Jammu is also Hindu-dominated.
00:30:21So, that is why Pakistan targets Jammu first.
00:30:23Before then, it focuses on Uri, north of Peerpanjal in the Kashmir area.
00:30:28But usually, they first try and target Hindus.
00:30:31Then they go for Gujars and Bakarwals of Punch and Rajauri.
00:30:34And it's only then, then they go for the Kashmiri Muslims, which is in Uri or Baramula or Kupwara.
00:30:39Group captain Rajiv Kumar Narang still with us.
00:30:42Group captain, one Pakistani F-16 shot down.
00:30:46Pakistan admitting two of their J-70s have been lost.
00:30:49Explain the significance of what you're hearing.
00:30:52Rajdeep, in addition to, we are seeing the Pakistan's fighter program, fighters operating against India.
00:31:05We also see drones.
00:31:07Drones, let's understand what they have.
00:31:09There are a number of drones with them.
00:31:11Falkov from Italy being developed in Kamra, CH-3, CH-4 from China.
00:31:17Ukab and Shahpur, they themselves developed it.
00:31:21Bairaq, the Kinsey, they have got it from Turkey.
00:31:24Then they have small drone manufacturers, indigenous small drone manufacturers.
00:31:28In addition, they have a sport from China.
00:31:31That's why the small drones are going to create a problem for us.
00:31:34And also, the significance of a Pakistan F-16 being shot down and J-2, J-17 being shot down.
00:31:47See, fighter shooting down by India is certainly a major victory for us.
00:31:54And I think it is going to give us an edge.
00:31:56And it will convey the message to Pakistan the way it needs to be conveyed.
00:32:00Indian Air Force, Pakistanis have always been taking for granted that they have been able to inflict injury on us in the last, when they shot down our MiG-21.
00:32:11But now they are realizing that one odd exception does not mean capability of an Air Force.
00:32:18Indian Air Force with advanced capabilities have demonstrated their capability to them.
00:32:22And I think they need to, they will soon realize that it is a miscalculation by them to take on Air Force.
00:32:31And as far as India is concerned, I think we need to look at immediate counter-done solutions.
00:32:37Sandeep, you want to explain to us the…
00:32:39Yes, Sandeep, last night also, Pakistan used drones and missiles to target different parts along the border, areas along the border.
00:32:47They seem to have used a similar tactic today.
00:32:50India countered that by neutralizing Lahore's air defense system.
00:32:56Just explain to our viewers what all of this really means.
00:33:02Well, Rajdeep, what India is doing basically is to sending out a message to Pakistan, not, you know, directly at the military,
00:33:09but targeting military infrastructure for the first time.
00:33:12They've moved up the escalation ladder like we were talking about the fact that they first targeted the infrastructure of terror during Operation Sindhur, the first phase.
00:33:21The second phase that we saw early this morning was targeting Pakistani military infrastructure, missile batteries,
00:33:28which are critical to Pakistan's air defense, which protect their military installations, which protect their air bases,
00:33:36which protect their core and division headquarters.
00:33:38That was struck for the first time today by India to send out a message that we can penetrate your air defense shields.
00:33:46And what will follow after that, this suppression of enemy air defenses, as it's called, is airstrikes.
00:33:53More air-to-ground strikes using bombs, using cruise missiles, using drones.
00:33:58So this is huge messaging here, Rajdeep, the fact that both, you know, India has chosen first to escalate from targeting terror infrastructure,
00:34:07then to move on to military infrastructure, targeting missiles, penetrating the shield to make it, you know,
00:34:14make other steps on the ladder inevitable, in a sense, if Pakistan retaliates, as is the case right now, as we are seeing on our screens.
00:34:23We are getting even more breaking news.
00:34:25There was an IPL match scheduled today in Dharamshala, which had begun about an hour ago.
00:34:30That match has been stopped.
00:34:31There's a blackout there as well.
00:34:33The lights have gone out there in Dharamshala.
00:34:36Shweta Singh joining me at the moment from the newsroom.
00:34:39Shweta, what details do you want to give on what we are seeing around us at the moment?
00:34:43Okay, we are going to try and get back to Shweta in a moment so that she can fill us in with more details that she is getting from the military headquarters that she is in touch with.
00:35:02Gaurab, what information are you picking up?
00:35:04So, Rajdeep, there's been a massive escalation in and around Jammu and south of Peer Punjab, which is this entire Jammu, Punsh, Rajauri, Krishna Gati sector and along the international border, RS Pura, Katwa, Samba.
00:35:18These are areas where the situation has intensified.
00:35:21Of course, we are also told that there were some attempts that were made over Rajasthan and Punjab that were thwarted.
00:35:27But this entire belt is now in a state of blackout because one attempt of Pakistanis may have failed.
00:35:34They may have lost some fighter jets, some rockets and drones.
00:35:36But the fact, Rajdeep, that even in Dharamshala and Himachal Pradesh, precautionary measures are being taken.
00:35:41Remember, when India struck today at that cricket stadium in Rawalpindi, right next to general headquarters, the Pakistan army headquarters, there was a PSL cricket match that was to happen this evening.
00:35:53And very clearly, minute-to-minute retaliatory strikes when India says we are not escalating, Pakistan is escalating, Pakistan is now actually widening the arc of their offensive.
00:36:04They've lost fighter jets, they've lost drones.
00:36:06We still are waiting to see the extent of damage that they may or may not have inflicted.
00:36:12A lot of information that's filtering in that needs to be verified right now, Rajdeep.
00:36:15I want to get a sense from both of you in a moment about those small drones that the Pakistanis have used both yesterday and today.
00:36:21But Shweta Singh joins us at the moment from the newsroom.
00:36:24Shweta, what news do you have for us?
00:36:28Rajdeep, we are constantly monitoring whatever is happening and Pakistan is actually using almost the same weaponry, yet cheaper versions of it.
00:36:37They've used Kamigazi drones in Poonch area, in Krishnaghati area, where there is a significant presence of the Indian army.
00:36:47But these have been destroyed mid-air.
00:36:51But what is also most important, Rajdeep, is that I've got Vikrant also with us on the Dharamshala news.
00:36:57Vikrant, what do you have?
00:36:59The game's been called off midway.
00:37:00It has been called off?
00:37:01It has been called off.
00:37:02Punjab had batted 10 overs.
00:37:04There was this break.
00:37:05So, all of a sudden, we realized that one tower was switched off, then the second, and then the third.
00:37:11And about 10 minutes ago, Shweta, they've decided to switch off the fourth one as well.
00:37:15And the crowd has been told to leave the stadium and go back home.
00:37:19Incidentally...
00:37:20It is a difficult situation because there are so many people there and for them not to panic.
00:37:24And they would also want to now get the two teams out of Dharamshala as soon as possible.
00:37:30There was another game.
00:37:31Vikrant, there was an advisory that we don't have a match in Dharamshala and the organizers wanted to go ahead with it because the teams were already there.
00:37:37Yes.
00:37:38I think there was a suggestion to play the game in the afternoon today rather than having it day-night.
00:37:44But then they realized that the technicalities were involved, the crew was involved, and they decided that the game was on.
00:37:50But I think the moment, Shweta, Jammu Airport was attacked, Jaisalmer Airport was attacked,
00:37:55I think they realized that the threat was real.
00:37:58And incidentally, this will now be the last game in Dharamshala.
00:38:01The Sunday game has already been shifted to Ahmedabad, which is not as close to the Pakistan border.
00:38:10Dharamshala, the bird fly distance isn't much.
00:38:13It is very close to the Pathan Kote Airbase as well.
00:38:15I'm going to stop you for a moment.
00:38:18You've given us the news about the cricket match.
00:38:20We'll come back to that.
00:38:21That the idea that the IPL is actually carrying on in these border areas seems a bit bizarre.
00:38:29Given all that we've seen that's happened, maybe the organizers should have anticipated what could happen.
00:38:35But that's for another day.
00:38:36One match has already been shifted out of Dharamshala.
00:38:39We want to tell our viewers these are deferred images.
00:38:42We want to make it very clear that on the channel, what you're now going to see are not images that are live at any state.
00:38:47These are deferred images.
00:38:48That's important, Gaurav, because we've seen in the past that these are often used, images are used by the enemy state.
00:38:57But, Gaurav, these kamikaze drones, you and Sandeep can weigh in on that.
00:39:03What are these drones?
00:39:04Why is Pakistan relying on these drones to target Indian installations?
00:39:09Rajiv, this is disruptive technology.
00:39:11This is the future of warfare.
00:39:13We've seen this in Armenia-Azerbaijan war, where Armenia had superior tanks, superior armor.
00:39:20But Azerbaijan had the latest drones and an entire tank would be vulnerable.
00:39:25A small drone could drop an 82mm mortar and the tank would be completely destroyed.
00:39:30We've seen that in Armenia.
00:39:32We've seen that between Russia and Ukraine.
00:39:33The latest T-90 tanks of the Russians could be destroyed by the make-at-home or rigged drones that the Ukrainian forces were using.
00:39:42I saw them rigged them.
00:39:44I saw them use them in action.
00:39:46Again, Israel and Hamas.
00:39:48Israel uses a lot of drones.
00:39:49But what we are using are state-of-the-art drones that Israel has provided.
00:39:54The Herop drones.
00:39:55These are kamikaze drones with an endurance of about 8 to 9 hours.
00:39:59They are loitering munition.
00:40:01They're actually like a weapon and an aircraft or a UAV rolled into one.
00:40:05They can fly up to a couple of thousand kilometers and look at the target.
00:40:10Loiter there for 6-7 hours.
00:40:12The moment they spot it, they can destroy it.
00:40:14But now, Rajiv, our army on ground at the LC is using quadcopters with the mortars to destroy enemy air defenses and their white lassets and coins.
00:40:22What we are getting news is all the drones that were used by the Pakistani army to target, air force and army to target Jaisalmer airport, they've been neutralized.
00:40:31They've been shut down.
00:40:32Sandeep, what is the weaponry that's used to shoot down these drones?
00:40:36Rajiv, there's a layered air defense as the military calls it.
00:40:40It has different weapon systems in different ranges and different calibers.
00:40:46starting from shoulder-fired missiles, which have a range of about 7 kilometers.
00:40:51We have the IGLA missile.
00:40:53Then they gradually go up.
00:40:54You have L-70 guns as well, which can, you know, fire.
00:40:57They're fast-firing guns, which fire at targets, which are about 3 to 4 kilometers away.
00:41:03They're close-in weapon systems.
00:41:04And then as you climb up the ladder of these missile systems that make up the air defense grid,
00:41:10you go on to Akash missile systems, which have a range of about 40 kilometers.
00:41:14You have the Barak-8, which goes up to beyond 40 kilometers.
00:41:18And then, of course, you have the big brother, the big daddy.
00:41:20You have the S-400 with a complete range of missiles,
00:41:25four different missiles ranging from 40 kilometers to almost 400 kilometers.
00:41:31So that can take care of a large number of targets.
00:41:34So we're not very clear what was used right now to intercept those drones,
00:41:39but it's possibly a combination of L-70 guns, which are air defense guns,
00:41:43and quick reaction missiles like possibly the Spider missile
00:41:47or indeed the Akash missiles, the indigenous missile,
00:41:51close-in missiles, medium-range missiles, about 40 kilometers.
00:41:55And these are usually kept around vital areas, vital positions like air bases,
00:41:59military sites, ammunition depots, and such, you know, as we're seeing right now.
00:42:06These could possibly have all sprung into action to shoot down those drones.
00:42:11But, you know, Rajiv, a quick point that I want to mention,
00:42:13what we are seeing, not only in the last couple of hours,
00:42:17not only have we seen a rapid escalation up the escalation ladder,
00:42:23but we've also seen beyond visual range missiles being used and also drone warfare.
00:42:28So interesting that, as Gaurav mentioned,
00:42:30the contest between these two nuclear armed states has not only climbed up the spiral of escalation,
00:42:36but it's also moved into areas like beyond visual range missiles and, of course, drones,
00:42:42which we have been seeing in the span of less than 24 hours.
00:42:44We have seen both India and Pakistan use long-range precision drones,
00:42:49loitering munitions, kamikaze drones.
00:42:52That clearly tells you how warfare has changed literally in a matter of hours as we speak, Rajiv.
00:42:57I'll come back to you and I'll come to Raj to give us the big picture.
00:43:01But I want to go to the ground because what's really happening at the moment,
00:43:04large parts of India's border areas are now facing complete blackouts.
00:43:08Our reporters are there in each and every of these places.
00:43:11We are not identifying locations at the moment.
00:43:13Shivani is there.
00:43:15There is Amit Bhardwaj, who is in a particularly vulnerable place.
00:43:19But Amit, what are you hearing around you?
00:43:22When you spoke to us last, you said there was a total blackout
00:43:25and there were preparations that were being made for a possible Pakistani attack as early as this afternoon.
00:43:32Gingal, you know, where you have the very important establishment of NHPC, the power center.
00:43:46And what we realized through the day was that the heavy artillery and shelling that is happening in Uri sector.
00:43:51And remember, after 1998, the locals say that they had not seen this kind of artillery and, you know, shelling happening in their villages.
00:44:00But it is happening.
00:44:02And it's not a coincidence that in Gingal, you have the NHPC's Power Project 2.
00:44:08And in Salamabad, again, you have the Salamabad Power Project 2.
00:44:13The dam is out there.
00:44:14And it's just not a coincidence that heavy artillery shelling that is happening in these areas of Uri sector,
00:44:21right after the Operation Sindur, was in these areas where we had our establishments.
00:44:26And today, what we are learning through our sources is that Kupwara is where the artillery and shelling is happening.
00:44:32It's massive.
00:44:33There's blackout in Baramula.
00:44:35As precautionary measure, there's complete blackout right now as we speak.
00:44:39On the highway from Baramula to Srinagar, I could literally see the security being ramped up like anything.
00:44:47You know, when we went in the morning all through from Srinagar to Barapula to Uri sectors, the interiors of Uri,
00:44:52there were normal deployments.
00:44:55But by the noon, we could actually see that the administration and the security forces were on their toes.
00:45:01The entire lanes were being cleared.
00:45:03You could see jawans every few hundred meters, a distance of every few hundred meters.
00:45:09And as we speak right now, in the Baramula town, we have precautionary blackout as well as the developments from Kupwara is awaited.
00:45:17But we can definitely confirm to our viewers, ceasefire violation is happening from the Pakistani side.
00:45:24Right.
00:45:24So across the Kashmir Valley now, we are hearing reports of total blackouts.
00:45:28Remember, the Srinagar airport also on high alert.
00:45:31Shivani Sharma, what are you picking up?
00:45:33Since we last spoke to you.
00:45:40Rajdeep, what update we've got is that not only in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, but also in Rajasthan, there is heavy shelling that continues.
00:45:48And when we talk of this heavy shelling, this is quite high than the last two days when the ceasefire violations were already on.
00:45:55And today, this escalation is happening from Pakistan side, to which Indian Army is responding appropriately, proportionately.
00:46:02And here also, where we are reporting from, there's complete blackout right after when activity, the air activity was witnessed in Jammu area.
00:46:11So what we are also learning is that all the drones that were fired upon the Jammu region have been neutralized successfully.
00:46:18But there is high alert in the complete Jammu and Kashmir region.
00:46:22The security is heightened.
00:46:24And the alerts are on.
00:46:25The air defense systems have been activated, not only in Jammu area, but across the region, Rajdeep.
00:46:32And also on the western border in Rajasthan, there has been escalated artillery shell fire that is happening from Pakistan, to which Indian Army is retaliating, responding.
00:46:42There was drone activity also reported in Jaisalmer that was also thwarted by the air defense systems out there.
00:46:50So complete area, the western border remains activated on a high alert.
00:46:54The attempts from Pakistan are being thwarted one by one.
00:46:58And there is an uneasy calm across these places because people are worried.
00:47:04There is uncertainty, but they also have full faith in the armed forces that have been responding appropriately to all these actions that are coming from Pakistan.
00:47:14Meer Farid, what is your report from there on the ground in Srinagar?
00:47:20Well, Rajdeep, panic in Srinagar as well.
00:47:23And if we talk of Srinagar airport, which is hardly three, four kilometers from where I am right now, people around the Srinagar airport are evacuating.
00:47:31Some have been told, some are moving out to safety on their own because there are reports that Srinagar airport is on high alert.
00:47:38Air defense batteries have been activated because Intel suggests that there could be a swarm of drones that could be directed towards Srinagar airport.
00:47:45So as a precautionary measure, all these steps have been taken.
00:47:48And I can also tell you that electricity has been cut off in Srinagar.
00:47:52There is a complete blackout in Srinagar.
00:47:55And that is a precautionary measure that has been taken.
00:47:58In Gure's army has fired on suspected drone movements.
00:48:02Similar news coming in from Gulmarg sector also.
00:48:05And then line of control across Tangdar.
00:48:07All the sectors of Kopara, Baramula, right up to Rajoye Jammu on the other side.
00:48:13They are hot, heavy artillery firing, we have been told.
00:48:16And Indian army is retaliating in equal measure.
00:48:18So this is escalation at multiple levels.
00:48:22Direct attack in Jammu, drones, rockets being used.
00:48:25And this is no normal drone attack.
00:48:28There are n number of wounds that have been sighted.
00:48:32They have been shot down in multiple sectors.
00:48:34So this is a massive drone attack.
00:48:36Probably 100 to 200 drones as far as this attack is concerned.
00:48:41Rajdeep.
00:48:42Pooja Shali, you have, as we've been saying, relatives and friends in Jammu.
00:48:47Are they all safe?
00:48:48Is there a sense that there is fear?
00:48:50What's the dominating emotion at the moment?
00:48:52Fear?
00:48:53A very important point.
00:48:56First, two quick points here, Rajdeep.
00:48:58One, the administration officials in Jammu are telling me threats are being neutralized.
00:49:02Incredible work by the Indian armed forces.
00:49:04Casualties have not been reported for now.
00:49:06But I can and I must tell you something about people of Jammu.
00:49:09There is an understandable panic.
00:49:11But they're extremely brave, nationalistic people.
00:49:14And they're in fact telling me they'll stay put.
00:49:16They're not going anywhere.
00:49:17They're with the administration, with the armed forces.
00:49:19Of course, because it is the Jammu city, this has never happened.
00:49:22And imagine a residential populated area that we are talking about, close to the airport
00:49:27especially, which is watching projectiles in air.
00:49:30Of course, it is all being neutralized by the Indian air defense system.
00:49:33But there is an understandable, unprecedented situation.
00:49:36But they're extremely brave.
00:49:38They're going to stay put.
00:49:39That's what the sentiment I've received.
00:49:41But I can tell you, on the ground, in Jammu, just look at how Pakistan has paved.
00:49:47And I hope, Rajdeep, the world is watching this.
00:49:49Despite Pahlgaam massacre, Indian armed forces targeted only the terror bases in Pakistan.
00:49:55But Pakistan from the beginning, from Pahlgaam, then to LOC, targeting civilians,
00:50:00then attempting to target civilians again in Jammu.
00:50:03So they are not differentiating at all, even though India is maintaining its civility
00:50:07in these sensitive times and looking at what war clouds are, Rajdeep.
00:50:12But clearly, people of Jammu are putting up a brave front for now.
00:50:16Group captain Rajiv Kumar Narang, make sense of what we are seeing in the air around us,
00:50:22the visuals that we are seeing.
00:50:23Just give us an explanation of an expert group captain
00:50:26of what is the threat that Pakistan is attempting to pose at the moment using their air power.
00:50:37Rajdeep, Pakistan is not able to use a conventional air power against Indian air force.
00:50:43So they are resorting to use of drones and other less expensive and missiles.
00:50:50In terms of drones, their loitering drones, normally they will be...
00:50:55Loitering drones will be detected and neutralized at shorter ranges between 1 to 15 kilometers.
00:51:02Indians have made their own loitering drones.
00:51:06Indian companies have made which can go up to about 100 to 300 kilometers.
00:51:10And they can fly for about 4 to 8 hours.
00:51:14And Indian drones will pose a challenge in addition to what we have acquired it from friends.
00:51:22So in terms of counter drone systems, India has developed several counter drone technologies.
00:51:28And those technologies will play a critical role.
00:51:31I'm sure we will be evaluating and upgrading them as we gain experience.
00:51:37And these technologies will have a critical role since Pakistan can develop number of small drones in-house by their own developers as well as they can get from Chinese friends.
00:51:49Thirdly, they have a collaboration with Turkey.
00:51:52Thirdly, they have their manufacturing, licensed manufacturing drones with Italy.
00:52:00So I think they are trying a low cost option and trying to draw out our air defenses.
00:52:05We will have to ensure that we do not get into that trap and keep our air defenses secure for the larger threat when it comes to a man-to-man fighter strike.
00:52:19And I think we will be evaluating regularly the current capabilities of Pakistan.
00:52:26Group captain, I'm just going to stop you for a moment because, Gaurav, we've seen this morning India strike back and neutralize as per reports, as per India's official statement, Lahore's air defense system.
00:52:37We even went as far as Rawalpindi. That's as close that we can get to the GHQ.
00:52:42Therefore, that's obviously set up mode of panic.
00:52:46We saw the kind of visuals that came in. Rawalpindi Stadium was among the places that was targeted as, again, as I said, as close to the GHQ.
00:52:53So you're getting a sense that India is going into parts which we haven't gone since 1971.
00:52:58I mean, we are reaching parts of Pakistan now using our own drone and missile technology this morning.
00:53:04Clearly, Pakistan now responding. What happens next?
00:53:08Oh, we've gone way deeper, Rajdeep. You'd recall, 2019, we went all the way up to Khyber Pachtoonkwa and banged them in Balakot.
00:53:15So, you know, our penetration inside Pakistan is immense, immense. And trust me on this, when we went into Balakot, when Indian Air Force went into Balakot, it went across the line of control and bombed across the international border.
00:53:27We've seen this escalatory spiral when we went into Balakot. Now we are seeing an escalatory spiral. And that seems to be the distinction between 2019 and 2025.
00:53:36Now we are seeing it in a matter of hours, not even days. You're seeing a tit-for-tat retaliation taking place in a matter of hours.
00:53:44In the last 48 hours, we have seen several attempts made by Pakistan to once again escalate and push India almost.
00:53:51So that's the difference, Rajdeep, between the Army Chief then and General Asim Munir now. The then Army Chief used to play it safe because he knew that Pakistan is not superior to the Indian Armed Forces.
00:54:03He knew it and he accepted it. General Asim Munir knows Pakistan is not superior, but he's now testing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's will.
00:54:11And he knows Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to ensure that the Armed Forces hit him even harder. And yet he's doing this and he's being hit hard.
00:54:20He's being hit hard now. He will be hit hard even harder. And Raj can tell us better, Rajdeep, because Raj has studied General Asim Munir pretty closely.
00:54:27Before I come to you, Raj, again in a moment, because we've got Sunil Ji Bhatt who is in a position where he really is literally in the line of fire at the moment.
00:54:36Sunil, you are, I hope, safe. Tell us what you are seeing around you.
00:54:46Rajdeep, the location I was at earlier was not safe. There were loud explosions there. I have moved out of that location, but I just want to give one update.
00:54:58This is as per my sources in the defense establishment. Eight missiles from Pakistan were directed at Satwari, Samba, Arespora and Arnia.
00:55:09All have been intercepted, blocked by air defense units. Visuals from Jammu remind of exactly Hamas-style attack on Israel, like multiple cheap rockets.
00:55:19Park Army operating and behaving like a terror organization. That's what the word has come from.
00:55:26Defense sources. But we have, you know, foiled Pakistan's attempt to target vital installations in Jammu.
00:55:34And as far as the civilian areas, the residential areas in Jammu are concerned, there is total blackout.
00:55:40People are confining themselves to their homes.
00:55:45Bringing you in, Raj, we'll go back to Sunil in a moment, but the point that Gaurav raised with you.
00:55:52You've got a Pakistani general who seems to be determined to get into a conflict because conflict increases its own relevance.
00:55:59You've got India with Prime Minister Modi who's already made it very clear.
00:56:03Kinetic action is part of our strategic doctrine and we will respond in kind.
00:56:08How do you see this? Therefore, does this increase the dangers while there are those who, you know, are seeing this as a potential war-like situation?
00:56:16I presume no one really wants war, but how are you seeing it given the stand that the two countries are taking,
00:56:23given the kind of establishment we now have in Pakistan as well in comparison to 2019?
00:56:28We are seeing, I mean, yesterday India sent a very strong message about that enough is enough when it comes to terror.
00:56:37It moved not just Balakot plus, but it was plus, plus, plus with the nine strikes that it did.
00:56:43Now the general is sending a message to us and Rajdeep, this is war.
00:56:51He's saying...
00:56:52Now using that word now, this is what, is what has happened in the last one hour an effective declaration of war.
00:56:58Have you seen this?
00:56:59Have you seen, I mean, I've gone through 71.
00:57:01I was a young boy at 65.
00:57:03Air sirens going, you know, bomb blast going across.
00:57:09For civilian, I mean, even for journalists like us who have been at the front, these are very discourting sounds.
00:57:15And to see our own correspondence hide like this, see the front right across.
00:57:20He has hit us not only, or tried Pakistan has tried to hit us right across Jammu and Kashmir, moves some in Punjab.
00:57:27He's seen Jaisalmer and the other extreme in Bhut.
00:57:30So what is the big message he's saying?
00:57:32He's saying, I'm, and he's escalated it to military installations as we saw, we also struck back.
00:57:38And once we get into this loop on the spiral, we, the answer.
00:57:43Look, I just, just to give you an example, Rajdeep, historically, 1999, the Kargil war.
00:57:49I was in Pondicherry with Prime Minister Wajpayee.
00:57:53And it was one of those routine kind of meetings that was going on.
00:57:56And there he announced that there would be airstrikes starting.
00:58:01That was the beginning of the Kargil war.
00:58:03I think we are seeing a turning point at the moment.
00:58:06This is going straight to that point.
00:58:09It is going to be very, very difficult because India has to strike back the kind of things that has happened here.
00:58:14And I don't know how Sandeep will describe it, but I think it will be heading to that.
00:58:18You know, given what you just said, India now has to take some hard choices.
00:58:23Rajnath Singh is reviewing the situation with the chief of defence staff.
00:58:27In his press briefing today, the foreign secretary made it clear again
00:58:30that India's action this morning was only in retaliation to what Pakistan had done last night.
00:58:35Now, given what we've seen in the last one hour, we are going rapidly up an escalatory spiral.
00:58:42And that is the major concern.
00:58:44Just to repeat, Jammu civil airport was under attack over an hour ago.
00:58:49Eight missiles intercepted by India's S-400 missiles.
00:58:53Multiple blasts were reported in and around Jammu.
00:58:56Drone attacks on Udhampur, Akhnur, Pathanko, Jaisalmer that have been repelled by India's air defence systems.
00:59:03But all in all, we are getting into a dangerously war-like situation that can spiral out of control.
00:59:11And that really is the concern. Purely in military terms, Sandeep, how is that escalatory spiral defined?
00:59:19Given what we've seen today, are we now to use that three-letter word that we are entering increasingly a war-like situation
00:59:26where retaliation on both sides could simply spiral out of control?
00:59:30Well, Rajdeep, I think we are still in the escalatory, you know, ladder which is way below a full-scale offensive, a full-scale war,
00:59:40or even a cold-start kind of mobilization of the forces.
00:59:43Because, Rajdeep, for war to be declared, first the forces have to be mobilized.
00:59:48We have not ordered a general mobilization of all the military, the army, for instance, that would be our weapon of choice if we were to go to war.
00:59:57The army has not been mobilized to an extent that it will move formations towards the border,
01:00:02just like we did after the parliament attack in 2001, Parakram.
01:00:06That would be the first signs of a war, you know, breaking out.
01:00:11But so far, it seems to be India and Pakistan slugging it across the line of actual control
01:00:17and the international border.
01:00:18Of course, India has responded in a way it has never responded in the past, not since the 1971 war,
01:00:25by targeting, you know, terrorist infrastructure and later military infrastructure across the heartland of Pakistan,
01:00:33which is the Punjab province.
01:00:35It's never struck Punjab, and it has done so now in less than the span of 48 hours.
01:00:41Two strikes, Operation Sindhur, the first wave, and Operation Sindhur, the second wave.
01:00:46Both of it striking targets inside Pakistan's Punjab province.
01:00:50But as of now, it appears that it is a war-like situation without escalating into a full-scale war,
01:00:57which would be preceded by a general mobilization of troops, by a general mobilization of the Indian army.
01:01:03It is, when the Indian army mobilizes, that would be the first indication that we would be going into something like,
01:01:10resembling a cold-start alternative, which is what we had planned to do after the parliament attack.
01:01:17It is a limited attack when...
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