Two days after he reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level meeting on Sunday in Delhi that will see the participation of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande and Army Chief-designate Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi.
The meeting comes amid the spate of terror attacks in J&K, including the terrorist firing at a bus carrying pilgrims that killed nine people.
Shah on Friday held a review meeting of the security situation in J&K with senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Topics on the agenda for Sunday's meeting include reviewing the preparations for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that will begin on June 29 and counter-terror operations. Shah is also expected to give broad guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, sources told PTI.
#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs in North Block, Delhi to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and preparedness for the Amarnath Yatra. pic.twitter.com/1rnvACJXvA
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2024
The officials attending the high-level meeting are likely to apprise the Home Minister about the security situation in J&K, the deployment of forces along the International Border and Line of Control, infiltration attempts, the status of ongoing anti-terror operations and the strength of terrorists operating in the Union Territory.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of CRPF Anish Dayal Singh, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police R R Swain and other top security officials will attend the meeting.
The Minister may direct immediate action to be taken by the security agencies in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's instruction. The Prime Minister held a similar meeting three days ago where he directed officials to deploy the "full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities" after a spate of terror incidents.
On Amarnath Yatra, Shah is likely to insist on ensuring smooth travel arrangements from the airport and railway station to the pilgrimage base camp. He will also direct officials to ensure the proper security of all pilgrims.
According to security officials, two Pakistani terrorists, who opened fire on civilians in Kathua last week, were aiming to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra, the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The Yatra will begin on June 29 and will continue till August 19. The Amarnath pilgrims travel through two routes -- Baltal and Pahalgam -- in Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities expect the number of pilgrims could go up to five lakh this year.
All pilgrims will be given RFID cards to trace their real-time location and everyone will be given Rs 5 lakh insurance cover. There will also be an insurance cover of Rs 50,000 for each animal carrying the pilgrims.
