Jammu, Apr 05 (KNO): Union Home Minister Amit Shah would arrive in Jammu on Sunday for a three-day J&K visit aimed at assessing the region’s security landscape and inaugurating key development projects.
The visit, originally scheduled for April 7, has been advanced by a day, reflecting the urgency of addressing the evolving security situation in the Union Territory.
MLA Bahu, Vikram Randhawa told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the Union Home Minister would arrive in the afternoon and would chair two high-level security review meetings and also a meeting of BJP leaders.
"The Home Minister is likely to chair a Unified Headquarters meeting, to evaluate counter-terrorism operations, border security, and infiltration challenges," sources said.
The security review meetings will be attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Army, paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police, intelligence agencies, and senior civil administration officers.
A key focus will be on strengthening strategies to ensure "zero infiltration" along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB), a directive Shah has consistently emphasized in past reviews. “The Home Minister has been regularly reviewing the operations in J&K and has directed that the aim should be that of ‘zero infiltration’ at the Line of Control and International Border, while dismantling the network of overground workers who support infiltrated terrorists and the narco-network which funds their acts,” said an official.
Shah’s itinerary, as per KNO, includes a tour of forward areas along the International Border in Jammu to assess security arrangements firsthand and boost the morale of troops stationed there.
He is also expected to meet the families of police martyrs, paying tribute to their sacrifices amid recent encounters, such as the Kathua operation where four police personnel lost their lives combating infiltrating terrorists.
In addition to security-focused engagements, the Home Minister will virtually inaugurate and lay foundation stones for several major development projects across the Union Territory.
He will also meet with BJP MLAs and senior party leaders on April 6 to discuss the ongoing Assembly Budget Session, resuming on April 7 after a 12-day break, and review the party’s performance and the political situation in J&K, sources added.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, is expected to join these discussions.
According to the sources on April 7, Shah will remain in Jammu till afternoon before proceeding to Srinagar, where he will stay overnight and chair additional meetings. He is scheduled to return to New Delhi on April 8.
The visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anticipated trip to J&K on April 19 to flag off the first train to Kashmir from Katra, underscoring the need for heightened security measures to protect critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Jammu and Kashmir administration have assured robust arrangements to facilitate this high-profile visit, with a multi-tier security cover in place across Jammu and Srinagar. “We are determined to root out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah has reiterated during previous review meetings—(KNO)