Amit Shah commences 3-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, holds meet with BJP leaders

Shah was received at the technical airport by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and some senior BJP leaders, officials said, adding the home minister will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives during his tour.

Jammu: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who reached here Sunday evening to commence his three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, held a closed-door meeting with BJP MLAs and office-bearers.

This is Shah’s first visit to the Union Territory after the formation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government in the Union Territory in October last year. The visit also holds significance in the wake of a massive ongoing anti-terrorist operation in Kathua district.

Shah reached Jammu around 6.50 pm and was received at the technical airport by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and other BJP leaders including J&K unit president Sat Sharma and party's national general secretary in-charge of J&K Tarun Chugh. Former J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina and former deputy chief ministers Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh were also present.

Soon after his arrival, Shah was escorted to Raj Bhavan and later visited the BJP headquarters at Trikuta Nagar here to chair a meeting of the party MLAs and other office bearers, the officials said.

The meeting, which started around 8.30 pm, continued for nearly two hours.

The Union home minister will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives during his tour.

The visit of Shah to the BJP headquarters coincided with the party's foundation day which was celebrated by BJP activists and leaders at the headquarters with great fervour earlier during the day.

Police and security forces have been put on high alert in view of Shah’s visit, the officials said.

On Monday, Shah will visit the BSF Border Outpost Vinay in Kathua and assess the ground situation there.

A massive search operation has been underway in the forested area of Kathua district since March 23 after police and other security forces intercepted a group of five terrorists who had infiltrated from across the International Border in Hiranagar sector.

Four policemen and two terrorists were killed in a fierce two-day long gunfight in the district on March 27.

Shah is also scheduled to meet the family members of the martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Monday and present appointment letters to some of them selected on compassionate grounds.

On April 8, Shah will first take stock of various development programmes in the UT at a meeting to be held at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

Subsequently, he will attend another meeting at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar where the security situation in J&K will be reviewed, the officials said.

Earlier in the day, J&K BJP president Sharma hoisted the party flag at the party headquarters in presence of senior leaders including MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Kavinder Gupta, and Leader of Opposition in J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma.

Senior party leaders also hoisted party flags at all organizational district headquarters, BJP offices, and at the rooftops of the houses of the BJP activists across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the party’s 46th foundation day, a party spokesperson said.