New Delhi- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday is likely to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the first such meeting after the last assembly elections held in September-October, sources said.
As Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha heads the Unified Command (UHQ), he would represent various stakeholders operating in the valley.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Director General of CAPFs, Chief Secretary, DGP of Jammu and Kashmir, will attend the meeting.
“The home minister will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He will be briefed about the prevailing situation in the Union Territory (UT) and the situation along the border areas,” sources said.
This will be Shah’s first meeting after the assembly elections conducted in the UT where a National Conference (NC) government, headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assumed charge.
After the abrogation of the Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two UTs in 2019, the law and order is the direct responsibility of the central government.
The home minister is likely to have a detailed discussion on the security roadmap ahead for 2025, the sources said.
Sporadic incidents have been continuing in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 20, seven people were killed in a terror attack in central Kashmir. Before that, there were attacks on outsiders working in Kashmir.
Sources said the security forces operating on the ground have prepared detailed presentations to explain the new challenges ahead this coming year.
“The Home Minister is going to review the security roadmap ahead of next year, especially in light of undetected infiltrations being reported regularly by various agencies,” a source said.
The meeting is expected to take note of recent terror incidents and possible steps to be taken on how to stop such attacks in the coming days, the sources said.
Data available from the Home Ministry suggests that in October and November, the maximum number of infiltration bids took place along LoC and IB.
“Even though more cordon and search operations were conducted, the ratio of terrorists caught or killed did not go up and that is one of the main worries,” he further explains.
In 2019 as many as 142 terrorists were killed but this year the number is around 45. This is a cause of worry as it means that despite various efforts we are not able to eliminate them,” a senior officer said, seeking anonymity.
“Civilian killings continue to remain a major concern and their safety is the prime concern of the government so in this review, this issue would also be discussed,” states another official.
As per the data, as many as 50 civilians were killed in 2019 in the Union territory. While the figure came down to 14 by the first week of November this year, it is nearly three times more than what was recorded last year, when five civilians were killed by terrorists.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |