*Assures spl recruitment, more cross-LoC routes, opening Nubra valley
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 1: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today held high level review of security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of surge in infiltration and terror attacks on para-military forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police and called for further strengthening Security Grid, plug gaps along infiltration routes and launch offensive against the militants but ensure that there was no collateral damage.
These and other directions were passed by Singh during a high level two hour long meeting at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar this evening.
Before departing for Kashmir from New Delhi, Rajnath joined by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on internal security situation in Kashmir. The meeting lasted half an hour in which the report received by the Union Home Minister from three-member MHA team, which had camped in Kashmir for four-days, was reportedly shared with the Prime Minister.
Rajnath reached Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, on two-day visit, at 4.15 pm today and was received among others by Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and senior officers of civil and police administration.
The high level security review meeting was among others attended by Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen SK Dua, Director General BSF, KK Sharma, Director General CRPF K Durga Prasad, Union Joint Secretary (Kashmir Affairs) Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Secretary BR Sharma, Home Secretary RK Goel, DGP K Rajendra, ADGP CID SM Sahai, Principal Secretary to CM Navin Choudhary, Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau and Commissioner, Special Bureau.
During the meeting, a range of issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir were discussed.
Official sources said the Union Home Minister assured of positive outcomes on issues of opening of more LoC routes for trade and business and giving permission to foreigners to visit Ladakh including Nubra valley, quick resolution of land related issues, increasing ex gratia payment to families of martyred J&K police personnel at par with the Central Forces and restarting the police modernization. Singh instructed the CRPF and BSF to explore the possibility of conducting special recruitment drives in Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed satisfaction over the performance of the State Government as well as the security forces and complimented them for excellent ground coordination and synergy.
The Union Home Minister asked the agencies to ensure fool proof security in the State, with primacy being to protecting the life and property of civilians. The State Government expressed its confidence of maintaining security in the State, including during the ongoing Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
Rajnath asked the BSF and the Army to step up the vigil at the International Border and the LoC, so that the evil designs of the enemy could be frustrated.
He will hold another high level review of security arrangements at Shri Amarnath ji cave shrine, located at a height of 12,756 feet from sea level, during his visit there tomorrow morning along with Governor NN Vohra, who happens to be the Chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), top officers of security forces, police and administration. He will pay obeisance to natural holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva at the shrine before returning to New Delhi in the afternoon.
Annual Amarnath ji pilgrimage began from Jammu today amidst tight security and it will start from base camps of Nunwan and Baltal in Kashmir tomorrow. The yatra will last till August 18 totaling 48 days.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Rajnath Singh will be given detailed briefing on security and other arrangements made for the pilgrims along both the tracks by the SASB and multiple security agencies, which have been deployed at the cave shrine and the twin tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal.
Sources said at the high level security review meeting, Rajnath Singh directed the security agencies to plug gaps, which have reportedly been used by the militants for infiltration into the Indian territory to increase their presence in the Kashmir Valley and carry out terror attacks, targeting security personnel and civilians.
He was understood to have called for minimizing the infiltration to keep the militancy under check in the Valley as their strength has depleted, which was the reason for militants trying more infiltration from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Sources said local recruitment of youth into the militancy, which has recently gained spurt also figured in the meeting and the Home Minister called for curbing the phenomenon to block local channels and resources of the foreign militants. The security agencies assured the Home Minister that steps were being taken to dissociate local youths from the foreign militants.
The Home Minister was also reported to have referred to vacation of Anantnag land and Tattoo Ground and discussed these modalities with the administration.
A deliberate attempt by “non-state actors’’ to destabilize first ever PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir was also being seen as one of the reasons behind surge in infiltration and militant attacks.
According to sources, Rajnath Singh called for strengthening ‘Anti-Infiltration and Anti-Militancy Security Grids’, which were managed by multiple security agencies along the LoC and International Border (IB) and hinterland. He said the Grids should work effectively to keep the militancy completely under control.
He was reported to have called for launching offences against the militants but at the same time ensuring that there was no collateral damage.
According to sources, top brass of Army, BSF, CRPF, JKP and other security and Intelligence agencies, present in the meeting, gave their detailed assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir including the LoC and IB to the Home Minister.
They were of the view that though infiltration has taken place in Kashmir, security forces had also succeeded in neutralizing 79 militants during first six months of this year, more than double from the corresponding period last year. The agencies said there could be 40 to 50 militants, who might have infiltrated into the Kashmir while some agencies put the number between 30 to 32.
On local recruitment, sources said, the security agencies admitted that this has taken place but listed measures taken to curb the phenomenon. They said in the meeting that some of the local recruits have been brought back from the militancy and restored to their family members.
Pointing out that major part of security review meeting was attributed to arrangements made for Shri Amarnath Ji yatra, sources said the Home Minister called for fool-proof security measures along National Highways, base camps of pilgrims and twin tracks of Baltal and Pahalgam.
Apart from security, Governor NN Vohra gave detailed briefing to the Home Minister on facilities for the pilgrims, being provided by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). The Home Minister will personally review security arrangements and facilities for the pilgrims at Shri Amarnath ji cave shrine tomorrow before returning to Srinagar on way to New Delhi.
Sources said on security front, Pampore terror attack of June 25 in which eight CRPF personnel were killed and 20 others were injured, figured prominently in the meeting. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) during movement of security forces was also discussed in the meeting. The Home Minister directed the security forces to strictly adhere to the SOP.
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