Pak Air Force on red alert; warplanes conduct sorties

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday put its air force on red alert and warplanes conducted "emergency scrambles" from four key airbases amidst escalating tensions with India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Soon after the Pakistan Air Force went on red alert, emergency scrambles were conducted at the Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Mianwali airbases, sources were quoted as saying by the private NNI news agency.F-16 and Mirage combat jets carried out aerial surveillance of the Chashma nuclear power plant complex and other sensitive sites, sources said.
Residents of Mianwali in Punjab province shouted slogans against "Indian aggression" as they watched the jets soaring through the skies over the city, the report said.The Civil Defence Organisation informed people about safety measures to be observed in the event of air strikes. Siren exercises will be conducted in the city for people to observe a black out, the sources said.The PAF began conducting sorties over major cities, including the federal capital, on Monday in a show of enhanced vigilance following the escalation of regional tensions.