Srinagar, May 5 -- The drills, aimed at civil defence readiness, come amid cross-border fire and growing diplomatic fallout between the two nations.

The Union Home Ministry on Monday asked several states to conduct mock drills on May 7 amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, government sources said on Monday.

The last such large-scale civil defence activity was held in 1971-the year India and Pakistan fought a full-scale war on two fronts. The timing of this drill, amid renewed hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC), is being seen as a signal of India's heightened security posture.

The measures to be taken during the drill include operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civili...