Three injured in drone attack in Punjab's Ferozepur

Three people, including a woman, were injured on the outskirts of Punjab's Ferozepur town following an attack by drones of Pakistan on Friday night.

Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu told the media that three family members have received burn injuries.

He said that most of the drone attacks have been neutralised by the Indian Army.

He clarified that this was the lone drone attack in the district.

Police officials told the media that the blast took place owing to drone that was later intercepted and which got destroyed by the Army's air defence system, but it landed at a house in Khai Pheme Ke village.

A car parked outside the house was on CNG that triggered the fire, an official said.

The three injured were identified as Lakhwinder Singh, Monu Singh, both sons of Bagicha Singh; and Sukhwinder Kaur, wife of Lakhwinder Singh.

They were hospitalised with Lakhwinder's condition is critical.

Unconfirmed reports said there were drone blasts in Jalandhar and Pathankot cities early Saturday morning.

Media reports also said a Pakistani missile was intercepted and neutralised by Indian armed forces in Haryana's Sirsa town.

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Friday gave his approval to include war and terrorist-affected victims under the Farishtey scheme.

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said that in order to provide immediate hassle-free medical treatment to victims of war and terrorist activities in government-empanelled private hospitals and to encourage the public to bring the victims to the nearest hospitals, coverage under the Farishtey Scheme of 2024 has been expanded.

This will provide coverage for victims of war and terrorist activities, ensuring comprehensive support and relief to affected individuals.

This expansion reinforces the state government's commitment to help those facing extraordinary hardships due to such events.

The primary objective of this decision is to lower the mortality and morbidity rates resulting from injuries sustained in war and terrorist activities.

In view of the current tensions between India and Pakistan, the state government has issued directives, cancelling all leaves of Fire Brigade staff and ordering round-the-clock deployment at sensitive locations.

An official statement quoting Local Government Minister Ravjot Singh instructed officials to conduct mock drills, ensure all equipment is fully functional and maintain constant communication with the Army authorities for swift response in case of any emergency.

Officials have been directed to remain on high alert with their mobile phones active at all times.

Punjab shares a long International Border with Pakistan and lies in the proximity of Afghanistan, which is a major heroin producer.

Pakistan continues to make concerted efforts to destabilise India's internal security by smuggling drugs and weapons from across the border.

The fencing along the International Border has been breached with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and drones.