Amit Shah to forces: Keep pressure on militants

Srinagar: Security forces and other law enforcing agencies were during a marathon security review meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asked to keep up pressure on separatist militants in the Kashmir Valley.

They were also told to work out strategies to check the recruitment of local youth into militant ranks and also ensure militancy does not resurface in any part of the State’s Jammu region.

The meeting discussed threadbare the security-related issues and overall ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir especially Kashmir Valley.

Senior officers of the Army, central armed forces and J&K police while giving a detailed account of the security situation in the State, told the home minister that about 120 militants including several top commanders of various outfits were killed in the counterinsurgency operations stepped up in recent weeks and that all indispensable measures have been taken to avert incidents like Pulwama terror attacks.

He was also told that there is “perfect” synergy among the various security forces in tackling militancy.

Governor Satya Pal Malik, his advisor in-charge home affairs K. Vijay Kumar, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba, J&K chief secretary B.V. R. Subrahmanyam, DGP Dilbag singh, Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, Divisional commissioner (Kashmir) Baseer Khan and his counterpart in Jammu Sanjeev Verma were present in the meeting, the official sources said.  The sources said that as the focus of the security grid in the Valley has been shifted to ensuring peaceful Amarnath yatra.

Mr Shah is scheduled to fly to Amarnath tucked away in Kashmir Himalayas early Thursday to pay obeisance at the revered cave-shrine.