DM to visit Leh, Siachen, Srinagar
Anti-terror ops, yatra on agenda
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 2: With Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairing his first meeting on Day 1 of assuming charge of the Ministry on Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Day 3 in office will fly to Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world in Ladakh region of the State tomorrow along with Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh for assessment of the situation and operational preparedness of the troops.
As a Home Minister in Modi 1.0 Government, Rajnath Singh had visited Eastern Ladakh number of times, where India shared Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and where para-military Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been deployed, which comes under purview of the Home Ministry.
In a tweet this morning, the office of the Raksha Mantri of India said Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will visit Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
“During his visit, he will interact with jawans at a forward post and pay his tribute to fallen soldiers at Siachen War Memorial. He will also interact with the jawans at Siachen base camp,” the tweet said.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the new Defence Minister will also visit 15 Corps Headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar where he will review security situation in the Kashmir valley including the anti-terror operations, situation in hinterland and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.
Annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji also begins in less than a month’s time now in which Army will play crucial role to man the heights of South Kashmir Himalayas, where Lord Shiva’s shrine is located, besides the National Highway from Pathankot to Jammu and Jammu to Srinagar to ensure smooth and secure yatra for the pilgrims.
Home Minister Amit Shah had also reviewed arrangements including security aspects of annual Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage in his first meeting at North Block with top officials of MHA and Intelligence agencies yesterday.
“The fact that the Home Minister held his first security meeting on Jammu and Kashmir and that too on Day 1 of his office and now the Defence Minister’s visit to Siachen, Ladakh and Srinagar tomorrow on Day 3 in office, indicated importance the Modi 2.0 Government attached to the State,” sources pointed out.
At the headquarters of 14 Corps in Leh, GOC Lt Gen YK Joshi and at the headquarters of 15 Corps in Srinagar, GOC Lt Gen KJS Dhillon will brief the Defence Minister on the situation in their areas of jurisdiction. Anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley have been in full swing and, as per the official data, 101 militants were eliminated this year so far.
“The anti-terror operations were likely to be intensified in the summer,” sources pointed out.
Singh will first arrive at the high altitude Thoise airfield in Ladakh from where he will travel to an operational base and then go to the Siachen Glacier where he will interact with Army’s field commanders and soldiers to review operational preparedness and requirements of the troops.
Besides Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield between India and Pakistan located at the height of about 18,868 feet from sea level, India also shares LAC with China in Eastern Ladakh sector, where before Modi 1.0 Government, incursions by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were routine but they have now virtually come to a naught.
“The top Army Commander will give detailed briefing to the new Defence Minister on security situation and operational preparedness of the troops in Siachen Glacier as well as the Eastern Ladakh sector besides other areas of Jammu and Kashmir including the Line of Control (LoC),” sources said.
According to the sources, Rajnath will return to New Delhi late tomorrow evening.
The Siachen Glacier in the Karakorum range is known as the highest militarized zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winters and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.
According to official figure, the Army lost 163 personnel at the world’s highest battlefield during the last 10 years. India and Pakistan started deploying troops at the strategically key glacier in 1984.
The Army’s 14 Corps guards the Line of Actual Control with China as well as the Line of Control with Pakistan. The Srinagar-based 15 Corp is mainly tasked with carrying out anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley.
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