India, May 6 -- India will conduct one of its most extensive civil defence preparedness exercises in decades on Wednesday (May 7) as part of a nationwide mock drill to test emergency response preparedness amid heightened tensions with Pakistan after the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack.

On Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed all states and union territories to conduct full-scale civil defence mock drills to check preparedness against "new and complex threats".

The mock drills, as per the government, will involve air raid siren tests, wartime blackout simulations, activation of emergency control rooms, evacuation rehearsals, and coordination with the Indian Air Force.

Along with the civil defence mock drills, the Indian Ai...