Pakistan violates ceasefire for the third consecutive night on Saturday as they continue drone attacks on India. Explosions have been heard near border areas in both the nations, as per reports.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved the immediate disbursement of about USD 1 billion to Pakistan under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility.
The Indian civil aviation regulator has announced shutting 32 airports across northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Amritsar till May 15.
Pakistan also announced shutting its airspace from May 10.
India Pakistan Tensions | Highlights
People heard multiple explosions in J&K capital Srinagar and Punjab's Pathankot on early Saturday morning after Indian army thwarted several attacks by Pakistan overnight.
According to PTI, Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said that at around 4 am that Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) airbases of Pakistan Air Force were targeted. "But all assets of the Air Force remain safe," he claimed. India has fired air-to-surface missiles with its jets, he claimed.
Pakistan Civil Aviation has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that it is closing its airspace from 3:15am (22:15 GMT) on May 10 to 12pm (07.00 GMT). This comes after multiple explosions were heard near Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi.
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved the immediate disbursement of about USD 1 billion to Pakistan under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility. In a statement, the Washington-based global lender said its Executive Board concluded the initial review of Pakistan's economic reform programme under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement. "This decision allows for an immediate disbursement of around USD 1 billion (SDR 760 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about USD 2.1 billion (SDR 1.52 billion)," the agency said.
India has flagged to the multilateral agency the possibility of misuse of debt financing funds by Islamabad for "state-sponsored cross border terrorism". In a post on social media platform X, the ministry of information and broadcasting said that "as an active and responsible member country, India raised concerns over the efficacy of IMF programs in case of Pakistan given its poor track record, and also on the possibility of misuse of debt financing funds for state-sponsored cross border terrorism".
Thirty-two airports across northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Amritsar, have been closed for civilian flight operations till May 15, according to the civil aviation regulator.
Thirty-two airports across northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Amritsar, have been closed for civilian flight operations till May 15, according to the civil aviation regulator. Some of those airports include Adhampur, Ambala, Amritsar, Awantipur, Bathinda, Bhuj, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Halwara, Hindon, and Jammu.
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Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- for the second night on Friday, with the defence ministry saying the enemy's attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted.
Some members of a family were injured in the attack in Ferozpur, Punjab, the only known injuries in the attacks carried out after darkness fell. All the states that border Pakistan were under a blackout.
The defence ministry said the situation was under "close and constant watch", and that there was no cause for panic. It said the Indian armed forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems.
A defence ministry spokesperson was quoted by PTI saying, "Drones have been sighted at 26 locations along the International Border and Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones."
