J&K lt governor chairs Unified Command meet, reviews Amarnath Yatra security

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha chaired the Unified Command meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday and reviewed the security situation in the Union Territory and arrangements for the annual Amarnath Yatra that begins on July 3.

The meeting, which was the first since the launch of Operation Sindoor to destroy terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, was attended by top officers of the army, police, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other security agencies and the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

During the meeting at Raj Bhawan, the lieutenant governor was briefed by the officers about the current security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly on the Line of Control and international border.

Sinha asked the officers to enhance security for the Amarnath Yatra on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, especially in the backdrop of the April 22 terror attack at Baisaran meadow that left 25 tourists and a local guide dead.

Sources said that Sinha was given a presentation about the security arrangements being made for the pilgrims right from Lakhanpur up to the cave shrine on both the routes. It is learnt that additional companies of security personnel are being deployed for this year’s yatra that concludes on August 9.

Citing the recent operations at Keller, Shopian, and Tral, Awantipora, in which six terrorists were eliminated, the lieutenant governor directed the officers to keep up the pressure to dismantle the terror ecosystem completely.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah has also said that the safety of Amarnath Yatra is priority for his government. “Our first concern is the safety and security of the Amarnath Yatra,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar last week.