Defence minister, Army Chief review Kashmir situation; discuss upcoming polls

Srinagar: Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday had had a quick on-the-spot assessment of the security situation in Kashmir Valley. During her daylong visit, she also visited some of the forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district for a review of the situation prevailing along the Line of Control (LoC), the officials said.

During her visit to the frontier, she was accompanied by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, the Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh and the Srinagar-based Commander of Army’s 15 Corps Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt.

A defence spokesman here said that during her visit to the forward areas, Ms Sitharaman was briefed by the commanders on ground on the operational preparedness of the Army and activities of the counter infiltration grid. “During her interaction with the troops, she lauded their round the clock sharp vigil along the LoC, high morale and professionalism. She also exhorted them to remain alert for any eventuality to defeat nefarious designs of hostile forces,” the spokesman said.

Later during the day, the Defence Minister along with the Army Chief met Governor Satya Pal Malik at Raj Bhavan here to discuss the overall prevailing security situation in the State especially Kashmir Valley.

A statement issued by Raj Bhavan said that the visitors held discussions with the Governor on several important issues including “effective management of internal and external security in the context of increasing attempts at infiltration and the on-going anti-terrorist operations.”

The governor and the defence minister had detailed discussions also on the urban local bodies and panchayat elections scheduled to be held in the restive state in October–December, crucial need for strengthening and the maintenance of vital road networks and strategic connectivity in J&K, particularly in the Ladakh region.