Civil Defence Blackout Drills Held in Anantnag and Ganderbal Districts on Pahalgam Anniversary+1

On April 23, 2026 — the day after the first anniversary of the Pahalgam massacre — civil defence authorities in Jammu and Kashmir conducted district-wide blackout mock drills in two separate districts: Anantnag in south Kashmir and Ganderbal in central Kashmir. In Anantnag, the administration issued a formal advisory to residents ahead of the drill, alerting them to expect siren activations, blackout protocols, and simulated air raid response exercises. Ganderbal district also staged a district-wide blackout civil defence exercise in coordination with J&K emergency services and security forces. The drills followed a parallel civil defence exercise in Poonch district that had been abruptly cancelled on April 20 — sparking public alarm and triggering memories of Operation Sindoor-era emergency protocols. The April 23 exercises were organized as part of the J&K government's broader programme to test civilian emergency preparedness and familiarize border district residents with protocols for potential air raid or military escalation scenarios. Security officials described the drills as routine preparedness exercises but analysts noted the timing — immediately after the anniversary of the Pahalgam massacre that triggered India's most significant military confrontation with Pakistan since 1971 — gave the drills heightened symbolic and operational weight. J&K's border districts from Poonch to Ganderbal have remained on elevated alert since May 2025's Operation Sindoor exchange, when Pakistani retaliatory shelling struck Indian border communities.