Lahore heard Thursday morning a series of loud explosions near Walton and surrounding areas including Gopal Nagar and Naseerabad, raising concerns about a possible security incident.
According to eyewitnesses, at least three powerful blasts were heard coming from the direction of the old Lahore airport.
The explosions were loud enough to cause alarm in nearby neighborhoods, prompting an immediate response from emergency services. Rescue teams and firefighting vehicles reached the area shortly after the incident.
As of now, there has been no official statement confirming the nature or cause of the explosions. Security forces have cordoned off the area and are conducting a detailed assessment of the situation.
Citing police sources a TV channels reported that an Indian drone was shot down in the area. The sources also suggested the drone carried explosives. However, there is no official word from the military.
Earlier, another TV channel reported that Pakistan had shot down a drone near Gujranwala. This was also not confirmed by the officials.
In a related development, a full blackout was imposed overnight in India’s Amritsar city, particularly around the sensitive area of Shri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).
The local administration instructed residents to stay indoors and turn off all external lights, fueling speculation of a high-security alert or an imminent threat in the region.
India has closed schools in border states of Punjab and Rajasthan today. University exams has been cancelled.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation authorities on Wednesday night suspended airspace operations over Lahore and Sialkot. According to aviation sources, all commercial flight paths over these cities were closed from 4am until at least 12pm on Thursday. An international flight from Madinah to Lahore was diverted to Karachi as a precaution.
