The exercise, named Operation Shield, will begin at 5 pm and include the sounding of sirens, followed by a night-time blackout, according to Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, Sumit Mishra.

In parallel, a similar mock drill is expected to take place in six border districts of Punjab — Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka.

However, official administrative orders for the drill in Punjab are yet to be issued and are likely to be released by this evening. A central government press conference on the matter is also scheduled later today.

These drills come in the backdrop of recent tensions following the terror attack in Pahalgam and rising security concerns along the India-Pakistan border.

The six districts in Punjab have historically been among the most affected during cross-border tensions.

A similar mock drill was previously held on May 7 across 28 cities in Rajasthan, where sirens were used to alert residents of simulated airstrike scenarios.

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