Pokhran resident shrugs off drone incursions from Pakistan—‘we're from land where nuclear tests happened'
Pokharan, according to Om Prakash, was never targeted before, be it in the wars in 1965 or 1971. 'Even in the 1971 war, Pakistan did not attack Pokhran, which is also not very far from the India-Pakistan border. We heard it from our elders. But this time, they attacked us with a swarm of drones, and we clearly saw the Indian air defence system destroy them in the air,' said the owner of a shop in Pokhran market.
It later emerged that Pakistan had sent a swarm of drones but those were knocked out of the skies by the Indian armed forces. The debris of damaged drones was seized by the Army personnel.
Pokhran: At about 8.30 p.m. on Friday night, Om Prakash, a resident of Jaisalmer's Pokhran town, heard loud explosions and saw streaks of light in the air from his pitch-dark house. The town was enveloped in darkness as a blackout was in place.
The town is little over 200 km away from the India-Pakistan border. In 1971, the western sector had seen one major operation by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in which six Hunter aircraft destroyed over 30 Pakistani tanks in the Battle of Longewala.
Pokhran was put on high alert amid India-Pakistan tension following India's Operation Sindoor launched in the aftermath of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. Blackout was enforced from 8 May to 11 May. All the shops were shut by 5 p.m. in this period.
'We are from the soil where nuclear tests happened. There is nothing to worry about Pakistan's drone attack. But this is new warfare, completely different,' Prakash said.
Local residents like Om Prakash and Rawal Ram Parihar, a shop owner selling automobile spare parts, are proud to remind outsiders about Pokhran's link to India's security: it was in the sandy desert of Pokhran that India had carried out nuclear tests twice, first in May 1974 and then in May 1998.
'In the gap of two days, India conducted two nuclear tests in 1998. No one from the villages were allowed to go close to the test region. The area was completely cordoned off and under army surveillance,' said Parihar, in his seventies, recalled.
Villagers, he said, got to know about the tests only when they heard explosions. 'There were very big explosions; the ground shook.'
Also Read: India-Pakistan ceasefire: Fragile calm follows drone sightings, explosions in J&K, Punjab and Gujarat
Khetolai's tryst with nuclear tests
At a distance of 28 km from Pokhran, Khetolai village is situated on National Highway 11. What sets it apart is that Khetolai is the village closest to India's nuclear testing site. The absence of undergound water even at a depth of 2,000 metre in Khetolai turned out to be a boon in disguise as it meant no possible danger of radiation after nuclear tests.
Residents here are mostly from the Bishnoi community. Old-timers distinctly remember both the nuclear tests. In 1974, India carried out nuclear tests under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The operation was codenamed Smiling Buddha. Twenty four years on, Operation Shakti saw India carry out five nuclear tests. This time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was leading the country.
'In 1974, the tremor was minor but on 11 May 1998, the tremors were significant,' said Mana Ram, a Khetolai resident.
Ram said before the nuclear tests, the preparation started around the 1960s when land was acquired by the government. 'None of us had the inkling that our village will be the focal point of India's nuclear tests. We all are proud as this was in national interest.'
'The land was acquired at very low cost. We have not received proper compensation and no development has reached our village,' Ram asserted. 'Pokhran is 28 km away from here, but everyone knows Pokhran for nuclear tests. The government does not pay attention to us. Pokhran has overshadowed the identity of Khetolai.'
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Electricity meters covered, deserted streets, Jaisalmer plunged in darkness after drones intercepted
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pakistan will go to war if India denies water under IWT, says Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan's former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said his country will go to war if India denies Islamabad its fair share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India put in abeyance the 1960 agreement soon after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people. Home Minister Amit Shah last week announced to never restore the historic accord. Bilawal's comments came two days after Pakistan's Foreign Ministry criticised Shah's "brazen disregard" for international agreements. Bilawal, in a speech in parliament, rejected the Indian decision to suspend the agreement and threatened to get Pakistan's share of water. "India has two options: share water fairly, or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers," he said referring to the six rivers of the Indus basin. Live Events He said that the IWT was still in vogue as the agreement cannot be held in abeyance. "The attack on Sindhu (Indus River) and India's claim that the IWT has ended and it's in abeyance. Firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India, but the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter," he said. Bilawal, who is head of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), also threatened that if India decides to follow through on the threat, "we will have to wage war again". The former foreign minister also highlighted the importance of talks and cooperation, especially in counterterrorism efforts. "If India and Pakistan refuse to talk, and if there is no coordination on terrorism, then violence will only intensify in both countries," he said. Bilawal also accused India of "weaponising terrorism for political purposes". He claimed that during his diplomatic visits to the UK and European nations as foreign minister, it was evident that India had lobbied hard to reverse Pakistan's progress on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) front. "At a time when Pakistan had successfully moved from the FATF grey list to the white list, India made every effort to drag us back to the grey list using false narratives and diplomatic pressure," he claimed. Bilawal also said that Pakistan succeeded in raising the issue of Kashmir on the world stage and President Donald Trump had spoken in favour of mediation on Kashmir. Apart from immediate steps such as putting the IWT in abeyance and stopping all trade with Pakistan, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Remembering Emergency: When India banned Coke and brewed nationalism in a bottle called Double Seven
HighlightsIn 1977, following the end of the Emergency and the fall of nearly three decades of Congress rule, the newly elected Janata Party government launched Double Seven, India's first government-backed cola, as a symbol of economic self-reliance and political change. The introduction of Double Seven was spearheaded by George Fernandes, the then Industry Minister, who expelled Coca-Cola from India due to its refusal to comply with local equity regulations, leading to the development of the indigenous beverage by Modern Food Industries. Despite a grand launch and the tagline 'The Taste that Tingles', Double Seven failed to capture the public's interest, facing stiff competition from established brands, and ultimately faded from the market after Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980. In the summer of 1977, just after the 21-month Emergency ended and India turned the page on nearly three decades of uninterrupted Congress rule, a new political force was not the only thing bubbling to the surface. The newly elected Janata Party government had shown the door to Coca-Cola and unveiled its own fizzy response -- Double Seven. The country's first "sarkari cola" was launched as a symbol of economic self-reliance and political change. Named after the landmark year that brought the Morarji Desai-led Janata coalition to power, Double Seven was more than a beverage; it was a political statement in a bottle. The indigenous cola had an elaborate launch at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan. The Double Seven cola , popularly known as "Satattar" (77 in Hindi) was manufactured and marketed by the makers of Modern breads - Modern Food Industries - a government-owned company. Interestingly, then MP H V Kamath was also awarded a cash prize for coming up with the name "77". Although "77" was not ready for sale until 1978, the name was chosen because 1977 was the year of big changes in India -- such as the end of the Indira Gandhi government and Coca-Cola. At the helm of affairs in the cola episode was then Industry Minister George Fernandes, who decided to throw Coke as well as IBM out of India over their refusal to follow the provisions of what was then the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. Rahul Ramagundam wrote in Fernandes' biography "Life and Times of George Fernandes" that the provision stipulated that foreign companies should dilute their equity stake in their Indian associates to 60 per cent. Fernandes wanted Coca-Cola Company to not just transfer 60 per cent of the shares of its Indian firm but also the formula for its concentrate to Indian shareholders. The company said it was agreeable to transferring a majority of the shares but not the formula, which it contended was a trade secret. The company exited the Indian market as the government denied a licence to import the Coke concentrate. Fernandes then introduced the indigenous drink "77". The government asked the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru to develop the formula. Sold with the tagline "The Taste that Tingles", the cola did not strike the same chord with the public as Coca-Cola, amid tough competition from brands like Campa Cola, Thums Up, and Duke. "I remember the launch of Double Seven at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan, a proud gift from the Janata Party, an indigenous drink supposedly superior than Coca-Cola and a stark reminder of Indira Gandhi's humiliating defeat in the recent general elections," author Sunil Lala says in his book "American Khichdi", published in 2009. Tata McGraw Hill's book "Advertising Management: Concepts and Cases" also mentions Double Seven as an example of government branding and "swadeshi" marketing gone awry. Hill cited the launch of Double Seven as a business school case study in government-backed branding, highlighting the campaign's missteps and beverage-market context of the late 1970s. The end of Double Seven, not so surprisingly, coincided with Indira Gandhi reclaiming power in 1980. Coca-Cola made a comeback in October 1993, post-liberalisation of the Indian market by the P V Narasimha Rao government and has maintained a strong presence ever since. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has also referred to the episode in his book "India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond". "Heedless to the signal these exits sent to the world - whose brief hopes that a change of government might have led to a more welcoming investment climate were poured down the same drain as the Coke - the Janata ministers chose to celebrate the departures of these multinationals as a further triumph for socialism and anti-imperialistic self-reliance," Tharoor wrote in the book. The Emergency was imposed 50 years ago on June 25, 1975, by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Triggered by political unrest and a court verdict invalidating Gandhi's election, the Emergency suspended civil liberties, censored the press and saw mass arrests of opposition leaders.
India Today
35 minutes ago
- India Today
Pak politicians urge government to reconsider Trump's Nobel Prize nomination
Several Pakistani politicians and notable figures have asked the government to reconsider its decision to recommend President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize after the US bombed Iran's three nuclear government, in a surprise move on Friday, announced that it would nominate Trump for the prestigious award due to his peacemaking efforts during the recent India-Pakistan letter of recommendation, signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, has already been sent to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway. But the decision came under scrutiny after the US bombed Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, joining Israel to dent Tehran's nuclear Dawn newspaper reported that some leading politicians demanded the government review its decision in light of the latest development. Veteran politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), demanded that the government rescind its decision.'President Trump's claim of peace has proven to be false; the proposal for the Nobel Prize should be withdrawn,' Fazl told workers at a party meeting in Murree on said that Trump's recent meeting and lunch with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir 'pleased Pakistani rulers so much' that they recommended nominating the US president for the Nobel has supported the Israeli attacks on Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Iran. How can this be a sign of peace?' Fazl questioned.'With the blood of Afghans and Palestinians on America's hands, how can he claim to be a proponent of peace?'Trump had campaigned for office as a 'peacemaker' who would use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but both conflicts are still raging five months into his senator Mushahid Hussain wrote on X: 'Since Trump is no longer a potential peacemaker, but a leader who has willfully unleashed an illegal war, Pakistan government must now review, rescind and revoke his Nobel nomination!'He said Trump had been 'trapped by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin )Netanyahu and the Israeli war lobby, committing (the" biggest blunder of his presidency'. 'Trump will now end up presiding over the decline of America!'Trump 'engaged in deception and betrayed his own promise not to start new wars', Mushahid said in another post, strongly condemning the US attacks on Iran. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan wrote 'reconsider' on his X account, highlighting the 'US attack on Iran and continuous US support of Israeli killings in Gaza'.In a separate post, the Opposition PTI condemned the 'unprovoked' US strikes and voiced 'total support' for Iran's Hasan, head of PTI's political think-tank, said the government's decision was now a 'cause of unmitigated shame and embarrassment for those who were instrumental in making the choice'.'That's why it is said that legitimacy can neither be bought nor gifted,' said Hasan, as he took a jibe at the also denounced the US' 'total disregard for international covenants' through attacks on senator Afrasiab Khattak said, 'The sycophancy adopted by the Pakistani ruling elite in nominating President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is not part of normative conduct in international diplomacy.''It was most embarrassing to announce the nomination hours before Trump ordered to bomb Iranian nuclear sites,' the veteran politician noted. Jamaat-i-Islami chief Naeemur Rehman has said the decision 'undermines our national dignity and grace'.Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, termed the move 'unfortunate' and said it did not reflect the public's journalist Mariana Baabar, in a post on X, said that 'today Pakistan does not look too good either', sharing the government's post announcing its intention to nominate Trump for the and activist Fatima Bhutto asked: 'Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?'Tune InMust Watch
