A day after India carried out Operation Sindoor, carrying out precision missile attacks on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, border states Rajasthan and Punjab have tightened security arrangements, expecting retaliatory action from the other side.
Rajasthan, sharing a 1,037-km border with Pakistan, has closed its borders altogether. Shoot-on-sight orders have been issued to the Border Security Force on any suspicious movement. At the same time, all the police personnel in the state are on duty as leaves have been suspended and big gatherings are prohibited now in order to avoid any possible security failings.
The Indian Air Force continues to be put on high alert. Flight operations at Jodhpur, Kishangarh, and Bikaner airports were suspended until May 9. Fighter jets like Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft are on active surveillance in the air from Sri Ganganagar to the Rann of Kutch. Missile defence systems and anti-drone squads along the border have been switched on. Moreover, blackout restrictions have been implemented by Jaisalmer and Jodhpur districts between midnight and 4 am to lower the chances of enemy attacks.
Air Force on Standby, Airports Closed in Key Border Cities
Schools in the districts of Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar, Barmer, and Jaisalmer have been shut down, whereas ongoing examinations are being postponed. Leaves of the railway and police personnel have also been withdrawn in an intensified measure of preparedness. Emergency plans for evacuation at short notice exist for people from border villages too.
In neighboring Punjab, the same measures have been adopted. Police leave has been suspended, public gatherings have been curtailed, and all official events involving Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have been canceled because of the increased tensions.
India’s Operation Sindoor was a retaliatory response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed. The banned Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy Resistance Front claimed responsibility. Indian forces targeted Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in Pakistan and PoK.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasised the strategic nature of the operation and said, “They focused on demolishing the terrorist infrastructure and incapacitating terrorists likely to be deployed across India.”
But Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized the strike as an “act of war” and threatened a “befitting reply.” While India insisted that there was no attack on any military installations, the regional situation is still volatile.
