Ahmedabad, May 9 – As military tensions continue to rise between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday to review the state's preparedness and security measures, given Gujarat's strategic location along both land and maritime borders with Pakistan.
According to Chief Minister Patel’s post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister inquired about the precautionary and defensive steps being taken in light of the current situation and issued necessary instructions. Patel informed the Prime Minister about the actions being taken to safeguard citizens, particularly those residing in the border districts of Kutch, Banaskantha, Patan, and Jamnagar.
This high-level communication comes just days after India launched 'Operation Sindoor', a retaliatory strike targeting nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. Late Thursday night, Indian forces successfully thwarted Pakistani attempts to strike military installations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and other locations using drones and missiles.
On Friday morning, CM Patel met with senior officials from various departments and armed forces to ensure smooth coordination and support for ongoing defense operations within the state.
Officials confirmed that as a preventive measure against potential aggression, a complete blackout was implemented for over seven hours on Thursday night in several areas of Gujarat's border districts, particularly Kutch and Banaskantha. Towns such as Bhuj, Naliya, Nakhatrana, and Gandhidham in Kutch, along with Sui Gam and 20 surrounding villages in Banaskantha, remained without electricity during the period.
Additionally, eight to ten villages in Santalpur taluka of the neighboring Patan district also experienced blackout conditions as part of precautionary protocols to minimize visibility from across the border.
These coordinated measures underline the state’s high alert status and the Centre’s close monitoring of border state readiness as cross-border hostilities remain a real and pressing concern.
