Drones over Samba: Indo-Pak tensions flare despite ceasefire, DGMO talks

Srinagar: Barely an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation—his first since the launch of Operation Sindoor—Indian air defenses were activated in the border district of Samba in Jammu and Kashmir late Monday night, intercepting over a dozen drones in a sudden escalation that led to a brief blackout in the area.

The latest drone intrusion from across the border came despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump on May 10 and DGMO-level talks held earlier on Monday between India and Pakistan. According to PTI, the two military officers are believed to have discussed key elements of the agreement, including a halt to cross-border firing and drone activity.

A video shared by news agency ANI showed Pakistani drones being engaged in Samba. Red streaks were seen and explosions were heard in the clip, as India intercepted the drones. The drones are being engaged and there is nothing to be alarmed, ANI reported, quoting Army officials.

In a parallel development, a blackout was also reported in Jammu’s Akhnoor, following reported cross-border firing in the Kanachak, Pargwal, and Keri Battal sectors. However, no official statement confirming the drone activity or exchange of fire had been issued at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, reports of suspected drone sightings emerged from multiple locations in Punjab, including Amritsar, where air raid sirens were sounded. No explosions were reported in those areas.

Despite these incidents, large stretches of India’s northern and western frontiers remained relatively quiet on Monday, offering a brief respite after several days of heightened hostilities marked by cross-border missile strikes, drone incursions, and air raid alerts in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Tensions between India and Pakistan sharply escalated last week following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor during the night of May 6-7, targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in a coordinated missile assault. Islamabad responded with waves of drones and missile strikes, triggering what is being called the world’s first drone war between nuclear-armed rivals.

In his earlier speech, Modi declared that India “will not tolerate nuclear blackmail,” and issued a stern warning to Islamabad. He emphasized that Operation Sindoor had only been “put in abeyance, not called off,” suggesting future actions would hinge on Pakistan’s conduct.

The renewed drone activity and cross border firing just hours later threatens to unravel the fragile ceasefire.