Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take stock of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday in the wake of the recent terror attacks there and is expected to give broad guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations. The Home Minister will also review the preparation for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage set to start on June 29.
Shah will chair the high-level meeting three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a similar meeting where he directed officials to deploy the “full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities” after a spate of terror incidents, including an attack on a bus carrying pilgrims.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, 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 are expected to attend the meeting, it was learnt here on Saturday.
Shah is likely to be apprised about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, 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, sources said.
He is expected to give broad guidelines about the immediate action to be taken by the security agencies in line with the prime minister’s directive, they said.
Terrorists struck at four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir in four days, killing nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan and leaving seven security personnel and several others injured.
Two suspected Pakistani terrorists were also killed in an encounter with security forces in Kathua district and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
The incidents come ahead of the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which is set to begin on June 29 and will continue till August 19.
The Amarnath pilgrims travel through two routes -- Baltal and Pahalgam -- in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said last year, over 4.28 lakh people visited the cave shrine and the figure could go up to five lakh this time.
All pilgrims are expected to be given RFID cards so that their real-time location can be traced 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.
Shah is expected to stress on providing smooth arrangements on the route from the airport and railway station to the pilgrimage base camp and proper security of all pilgrims.
Last year, Shah had directed officials to ensure adequate stock of oxygen cylinders and their refilling and asked for the availability of additional teams of doctors. He had ordered adequate medical beds and deployment of ambulances and helicopters to meet any medical emergency.
Following Shah’s order, a better communication system on the pilgrimage routes was ensured and machines were deployed to immediately open routes in case of a landslide.
On Friday, the home minister was briefed by the officials of the ministry, Intelligence Bureau and other security agencies about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the steps taken following the terror incidents, sources said.
