Lahore Blasts during Increased Tensions: There were explosions in Lahore last night when a loud boom shook the city, leaving residents frightened. The sirens had gone off and the residents had come out of their homes. The blasts came on the day after India had initiated ‘Operation Sindoor’, a strike against terror camps in Pakistan. Reuters reports and local media said sounds of blasts were heard in Naseerabad and Gopal Nagar, close to Walton Airport. The targeted area is located close to Lahore’s Central Business District, upscale, as well as the Army cantonment.
Panic in the City
Locals took photos of plumes of smoke and people running away from the locations. Sentiment was tense. Authorities quickly suspended flight operations at airports in Lahore, Sialkot, and Karachi. Emergency personnel rushed to the location, however no civilian casualties or serious damage to infrastructure were reported.
Drone Activity Suspected
Samaa TV cited the police sources to have attributed the cause of the blast to a suspected drone. The 5-6 feet long intercepted and jammed drone is under investigation by the authorities, who are attempting to identify the point of origin of the debris.
Operation Sindoor: A Calculated Indian Strike
On Wednesday, India initiated ‘Operation Sindoor’, a composite precision guided military strike against terror training camps in Pakistan and PoK. This was in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, a large number of whom were Hindus.
Indian Rafale fighter aircraft were utilized for air-to-surface missile attacks, whereas the Indian Army launched surface-to-surface missiles. The attacks are reported to have been carried out against nine Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) linked targets.
Indian reports claimed that 80–90 terrorists were targeted and killed during the attacks. They claimed that the raid was targeted towards terror facilities and not against civilian or military facilities. The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that it was an “exact and restrained response.”
Pakistan Fires Artillery in Retaliation
Shortly after the attacks, there was a rapid response from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He had termed the operation as “an act of war.” Although India provided visual proof of terror camps struck in the attack, Pakistan had refused to have conducted the Pahalgam attack.
India, though, alleged that the Indian shelling led to the killing of civilians, including women and children. In retaliation, the Pakistani military fired across the Line of Control (LoC) and fired into civilian areas in Poonch and Rajouri. That firing killed 15 Indian civilians.
Escalating Pressure in the Region
The fresh outburst is a massive shot in the arm for Indo-Pak tensions. India’s Sindoor Operation has been welcomed at home but drawn intransigent political and military reaction from Islamabad. Explosions at Lahore continue to stoke speculations of increasing instability. The next few days are likely to put the regional diplomatic and military balance to the test. With the two sides on their toes, the situation is explosive.
Conclusion
Lahore blasts, in retaliation by India, have caused regional instability. India has persisted in not increasing the stakes but Pakistan has described the operation as provocative. Global focus is currently directed towards international actors calling for restraint as tensions continue to smolder on the border. Get the latest market insights, latest news, and crime news — visit News Trendzs today!
