On Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with senior officers from his ministry and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) following four terror attacks in the Jammu region since Sunday. These attacks resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including nine civilians and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan.
Sources familiar with the situation said Shah was briefed on the current deployment in the Jammu region, at the Line of Control (LoC), and the international border. He was also updated on the status of combing operations to locate the terrorists and efforts to identify their local supporters.
Shah has scheduled a detailed meeting for June 16 in North Block, to be attended by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, senior officers from the army, J&K police, central paramilitary forces, and local administration. The meeting will focus on ensuring foolproof security and preparing for the Amarnath Yatra.
“Specific instructions on handling the situation are expected from the Home Minister on Sunday, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the full deployment of counterterror capabilities to address the recent attacks,” said an unnamed officer.
The June 16 meeting will also decide whether to send additional paramilitary companies to the affected districts of Rajouri, Kathua, Samba, Jammu, and Poonch, the officer added.
Currently, there are around 70 battalions (approximately 70,000 personnel) of central paramilitary forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for insurgency and law and order issues. The Border Security Force (BSF) and the army maintain border vigilance.
At the 3,323-km-long land border with Pakistan, there are 675 border outposts (BOPs), with work on 31 more expected to be completed by June 2025, and alternative sites being explored for 30 additional posts. Overall, the forces will have 736 BOPs at the western border. The government has also sanctioned a 2,097.646 km fence, of which 2,064.666 km is completed, with work on the remaining 32.98 km ongoing.
Intelligence agencies have informed ground forces that infiltration attempts from the LoC and the international border have increased in recent weeks, with Pakistan attempting to stir trouble in the region through proxy outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) among others.
