Punjab closes all educational institutes until May 11 amid Indian drone aggression

Amid escalating border tensions and a deteriorating law and order situation, the Punjab government has announced the closure of all public and private educational institutions until Sunday, May 11, following Indian drone aggression and growing regional instability.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat confirmed on Thursday that schools, colleges, and universities across the province will remain closed on May 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday) as part of a two-day holiday notification. The teaching process will resume as usual on Monday, May 12, he stated. The decision applies to both government and private sector institutions.

Simultaneously, Secretary Education Khalid Nazir Wattoo emphasised that the extended closure is also linked to national security concerns in the wake of multiple drone attacks by India, targeting major cities in Pakistan.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 25 Indian drones—identified as Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions—were intercepted and destroyed across Pakistan in a series of unprovoked aerial violations.

The Pakistani military’s air defence units engaged the drones using a mix of "soft kill" (electronic disruption) and "hard kill" (kinetic destruction) methods. Debris from the downed drones was recovered in Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Sangla Hill, Miano, Chhor, and Karachi, the ISPR said.

DG ISPR Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry termed the drone attacks a “cowardly and provocative act”, accusing India of reckless behaviour driven by “frustration and panic” after suffering significant military losses during retaliatory strikes by Pakistan’s Air Force on May 6–7.

“These strikes show the real, disgusting face of our enemy—too weak to face us soldier-to-soldier, so it hides in the shadows and attacks civilians,” he said.

Pakistan’s response, according to the DG ISPR, was surgical and focused solely on military targets, avoiding civilian casualties and demonstrating discipline even under provocation. He confirmed that no Pakistani aircraft or facilities were damaged, while five Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, were destroyed in air-to-air engagements.