Indo-Pak conflict: Gujarat govt cancels leaves of all its employees

Ahmedabad, May 9 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Friday cancelled the leaves of all its employees with immediate effect as a result of the ongoing India-Pakistan military conflict.

A notification issued by the General Administration Department said all types of leave, except those required for unavoidable circumstances, taken by the state government employees have been cancelled with immediate effect.

These employees and officials have been instructed to join their respective duties immediately, it said.

Moreover, all the employees have also been instructed not to leave their headquarters without obtaining the prior approval of the department head, the notification said.

"In view of the prevailing situation, all types of leave for officers and employees of all departments and offices of the state government, as well as Boards, Corporations, Panchayats, Municipal Corporations, and autonomous and grant-in-aid institutions, have been cancelled with immediate effect," Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said in a post on X.

"Instructions have also been issued to the heads of the respective departments or offices to ensure that officers and employees currently on leave report back to duty with immediate effect. Additionally, officers and employees have been instructed not to leave headquarters without prior approval from the head of the department," he further said in post.

On Wednesday, the state Director General of Police (DGP) issued a similar order cancelling leaves of all the police officers after India launched Operation Sindoor on Pakistan's terror infrastructure.

During the day, Patel had instructed the administration to make necessary arrangements to make sure that citizens easily get an adequate supply of essential commodities in the current situation.

In a post on platform 'X', Patel further said instructions have also been given to each district collector to keep the prices of essential commodities under control.

"To prevent hoarding or black marketing of essential commodities, all sellers, retailers, processors, millers and importers have been strictly instructed to follow the necessary legal provisions," Patel said in his post.

"Citizens are humbly requested not to fall prey to any kind of rumours and have faith in the state government and district administration," he added.

Early on Wednesday, the Indian Armed Forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. PTI PJT PD NP