Delhi on high alert, India Gate area evacuated after tensions escalate between India and Pakistan

People near India Gate, the iconic war memorial, were asked to leave, and traffic there has been regulated by the police.

After Pakistan's unprovoked aggression on Thursday evening, a high alert was sounded in Delhi, and all city government employees' leaves were cancelled as hostilities ramped up between India and Pakistan, with several border areas, including Jammu, coming under cross-border shelling.

People near India Gate, the iconic war memorial, were asked to leave, and traffic there has been regulated by the police.

District magistrates in the national capital are holding meetings with their subordinates to review health and disaster management preparedness in case of any emergency, officials said.

"Police will stay alert and will keep active. Night vigil has been intensified. We will deploy extra force in every sensitive area," a police officer said. In a late evening order, the Delhi government's services department banned its employees from going on leave until further orders.

Security was heightened across the national capital with additional forces, including paramilitary personnel, being deployed at key installations. Police sources said special commissioners of all zones are holding meetings with the deputy commissioners of all 15 districts.

The security beef-up comes amid an armed conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani military last night tried to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj. The attempts were foiled, and a Pakistani air defence system was destroyed in Lahore.