Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 8: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who embarks on four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow, will hold high-level review of security situation and Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and visit Pakistan-firing hit Nowshera sector to meet the border migrants. He will also address BSF, CRPF and JKP jawans at different places.
“This is for the first time that the Home Minister will be in the State for four days-two days each in Jammu and Kashmir regions. However, he would skip Ladakh but could visit the mountain-locked region separately at a later date,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Ahead of the visit, Rajnath said in New Delhi that he was visiting the State with an open mind and was ready to meet all stakeholders as the Centre was committed to solve the Kashmir problem.
The Union Home Minister will address police jawans at District Police Lines (DPL) Anantnag and CRPF jawans at Khanabal on September 10. He will visit LoC migrants’ relief camp at Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Nowshera, where a large number of people from the forward areas were camping due to mortar shelling and firing by the Pakistani troops and address jawans of BSF’s 52 battalion at Nowshera on September 11.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh will join Rajnath Singh on September 11 as he will be in Gujarat on September 9 and 10 along with BJP president Amit Shah for party’s election strategy in the poll-bound State.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, other senior MHA officials including Incharge Jammu and Kashmir desk, would reach Srinagar around 12 noon tomorrow and would be received by top leadership of the State.
On his arrival, he would have a lengthy meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to discuss situation in Jammu and Kashmir and steps required to be taken by both Centre and State Governments to bring normalcy in the Valley.
Thereafter, he would review progress of PMDP with top brass of the State Government including the Chief Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and senior officers of the civil administration. The Union Home Ministry had regularly been releasing funds under Rs 80,000 crores worth PMDP in both Centre and State sectors and has assured release of more funds once the already given amount was utilized.
Sources said the State Government could seek release of PMDP funds in certain specific sectors to boost infrastructure development. These sectors have already been identified and conveyed to the Home Ministry.
After PMDP review, the Union Home Minister will meet the delegations. He would have dinner meeting with Governor NN Vohra at the Raj Bhavan to review various aspects of the situation.
On September 10, Rajnath will address police cops at DPL Anantnag and CRPF jawans at Khanabal before returning to Srinagar to receive more delegations. Sources said the Home Minister was also likely to meet some college students to discuss their issues. He would hold high-level review of security situation in the State on the evening of September 10 with top officials of all security and Intelligence agencies, operating in Kashmir. Situation along the borders and hinterland on anti-militancy front as well as unrest would be discussed in detail and steps required to further ease the situation could be suggested, sources said.
Rajnath will inter-act with media in the morning of September 11 at Srinagar before reaching Jammu in the afternoon. He will leave for Nowshera where he will meet the border migrants and BSF jawans. He will receive the delegations in Jammu in the evening of September 11 and next morning before returning to New Delhi in the afternoon of September 12.
Nowshera was the worst sufferer of Pakistan shelling and firing, leading to migration from several forward villages. Some civilians have also been killed and injured in the shelling in Nowshera sector.
Sources said though Ladakh was not part of Rajnath’s tour itinerary of four days, he could undertake separate visit to the region later.
Ahead of his visit, Rajnath said he is visiting Jammu and Kashmir with an “open mind” and is ready to meet anyone who wishes to interact with him as the Government wants resolution of all the problems.
“I am going with an open mind and I am willing to meet all those who come to meet me. We want a resolution to the problems,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached out to Kashmiris during his Independence Day speech asserting that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved either by bullets or by abuses and that a solution can only be found by embracing all Kashmiris.
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who heads the Congress Policy Planning Group on Kashmir, will also lead a team of party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir next week for discussions on the current situation in the State with party workers and “like-minded” groups.
In September 2016, the Home Minister had visited the State leading an all-party delegation when he met about 200 members of 30 delegations from various sections of society and listened to their point of view to arrive at a common solution to the Kashmir issue.
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