Pakistani Drone Sighting in Kathua Triggers Search Ops; Anti-Terror Sweep Continues in Poonch

Security forces on Tuesday launched extensive search operations after a drone from Pakistan was spotted hovering over forward villages along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. The incident comes amid heightened tensions along the India-Pakistan border, with authorities remaining on high alert.

The drone intruded into Indian territory around 2 pm and was observed over the villages of Shukhmal, Devindera and Tapan in the Bobiyan area of Kathua's Hiranagar sector. Alert Border Security Force (BSF) personnel initiated countermeasures to bring down the flying object. However, the drone, flying at a high altitude, managed to return across the border before it could be intercepted.

Following the sighting, the BSF and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a comprehensive search operation in the area to ascertain whether the drone had dropped any weapons, explosives, or other materials. According to news agency PTI, the operation was continuing at the time of the last reports.

In a separate development, security forces carried out a large-scale cordon-and-search operation in scores of remote villages in Poonch district based on intelligence inputs about the suspected movement of two groups of terrorists. Personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, assisted by the Rashtriya Rifles, searched areas including Dhara Sangla, Gujjar Naar and Kherowali Dhok in Surankote tehsil. Officials said no contact had been established with the suspected terrorists, and systematic searches were ongoing in the densely forested region. Security personnel also searched Kalaban and adjoining areas in Mendhar tehsil, but no arrests were made.

In another security-related development on Tuesday morning, an old rusted mortar shell was recovered from the courtyard of a house in Kattal-Brahmana village in Kathua's Hiranagar sector. Labourers carrying out excavation work at the residence noticed the suspicious object and informed the authorities. A police team, along with the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), secured the area and safely removed the unexploded shell for disposal.

The drone intrusion occurs at a time of heightened military activity along the border. Earlier on Tuesday, India stated it would do "whatever is necessary" to safeguard its national interests following reports that Pakistan had deployed approximately 250 Chinese-origin SH-15 self-propelled artillery guns along sectors facing India.

Responding to the reports during the Ministry of External Affairs' weekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "During Operation Sindoor, we saw how a befitting reply was given (to Pakistan). From our side, our stance is that cross-border terrorism must stop, and we will do whatever is necessary in our national interest, for which we always remain vigilantly deployed."

The Chinese-made SH-15 155mm/52-calibre artillery systems have reportedly been deployed primarily in Pakistan's Gujranwala, Sialkot and Jalalpur Jattan sectors opposite India as part of Islamabad's artillery modernisation programme.

Last month, a similar suspected Pakistani drone sighting was reported in Rajouri district, where blinking lights were seen over forward villages in the Sunderbani sector before the suspected unmanned aerial vehicle returned towards Pakistan. Security forces subsequently conducted a search operation to check for any airdropped payload but found nothing suspicious.