SRINAGAR: A series of loud explosions have rocked Srinagar since early Saturday morning, triggering panic and bringing normal life to a near halt. While skeleton transport services are operational and most shopfronts remain open, the city’s roads have nearly emptied out as fear grips residents amid a conspicuous silence from official sources.
In the early hours, several explosions were reported across Srinagar and surrounding areas, prompting a wave of uncertainty. The situation escalated around noon when two heavy blasts were heard across the valley.
“There was a loud blast, then a second one followed shortly. We saw smoke in the distance,” said a resident in the vicinity of the airport.
By the afternoon, another wave of explosions — reportedly louder than the earlier ones — reverberated across the southern arc of the Valley, with sounds heard as far as Shopian. Although no official statement has been issued about the source or targets of these blasts, speculation is mounting that missile exchanges or aerial engagements may be underway.
Adding to the tension was a report that a missile had landed in the Dal Lake area. Local sources claimed that debris was recovered from the water, though authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the incident.
The absence of any formal briefing has fuelled confusion and unease.
This latest development comes amid escalating hostilities along the Line of Control. It follows days of cross-border drone and missile activity that has already pushed the region into a high-alert posture. The spokespersons of the army and IAF joined the Foreign Secretary to offer details of the happenings in the last 24 hours. They admitted to having interrupted a series of drone and missile attacks from Pakistan at 26 locations, including Srinagar and Jammu.
For now, Srinagar waits — tense, uncertain, and unusually silent — as the rumble of distant blasts punctuates the quiet of its emptied streets.
