Amit Shah chairs high-level meet on Jammu and Kashmir amid recent terror attacks

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting in Delhi, on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, in the wake of the recent terror attacks there.

During the meeting, Shah gave broad guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations, sources told news agency PTI. Sources also said the Home Minister was given a thorough briefing on the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces are expected to intensify counter-terror operations in the coming days.

The operations against the terrorists will be carried out in line with the Prime Minister’s directive, they said.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of CRPF Anish Dayal Singh, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police RR Swain and other top security officials were present during the high-level meeting.

The Home Minister also reviewed the preparations for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage scheduled to begin on June 29.

He was apprised about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the deployment of forces along the International Border and Line of Control, infiltration attempts, the status of ongoing anti-terror operations and the strength of terrorists operating in the Union Territory, PTI reported.

Shah presided over the high-level meeting here at North Block, three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a similar meeting where he directed officials to deploy the “full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities” after a spate of terror incidents, including an attack on a bus carrying pilgrims.

During the past week, terrorists struck four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir, killing nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan and leaving seven security personnel and several others injured.

Two suspected Pakistani terrorists were also killed in an encounter with security forces in Kathua district and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from them.

The incidents come ahead of the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas.