CRPF chief accompanies Amarnath pilgrims; reviews security arrangements

Over 6,500 pilgrims leave for Kashmir

STATE TIMES NEWs

JAMMU: CRPF Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen Tuesday accompanied a batch of pilgrims heading to the Baltal base camp for the Amarnath Yatra in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district after reviewing security arrangements at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here.
The 62-day long annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the traditional 48-km Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and shorter 14-km Baltal route on July 1.
“During visit to J&K @sthaosen, DG @crpfindia, reviewed the security arrangements made for the ongoing Sh Amarnath ji yatra . He visited Bhagwati Nagar yatriniwas (Jammu). He also interacted with the pilgrims and took their feedback,” the CRPF wrote on its official Twitter handle.
In another tweet, it said, “Continuing with his review of SANJY

n STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told leaders of the SCO nations that the grouping must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and there must not be any “double standards” in combating terrorist activities.
With Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin listening, Modi said at a virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that “decisive action” is required to deal with terrorism and terror financing.
Chairing the summit, Modi talked about the growing importance of the SCO and said, “It is our shared responsibility to understand each other’s needs and sensitivities and resolve all challenges through better cooperation and coordination.”
The remarks came amid the lingering border row between India and China.
In his opening remarks, Modi also highlighted the need for boosting connectivity, but asserted that it is essential to respect the basic principles of the SCO charter, especially the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, while making such efforts.
There has been increasing global criticism of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has (ShriAmarnathji Yatra) security arrangements amidst his visit to Baltal, @sthaosen,DG @crpfindia, accompanied the up convoy from Bhagwati nagar.
“He saw firsthand exchange of the convoy at Lamber, Banihal before proceeding ahead to Qazigund & Mirbazar camps (in south Kashmir),” it added.
Meanwhile, the fifth batch of more than 6,500 Amarnath pilgrims left the Jammu city in the early hours for the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials said.
The officials said the pilgrim footfall at the shrine is likely to cross the 50,000 mark later in the day as the yatra is progressing smoothly, with devotees from across the country thronging the base camps to have a glimpse of the naturally formed ice-shivlingam and offer their prayers.
A total of 6,597 pilgrims, including 1,429 women, 160 seers and 33 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for the valley in a convoy of 253 vehicles amid tight security arrangements in the early hours of Tuesday, they said.
The officials said 4,475 pilgrims, headed for Pahalgam, left in a convoy of 160 vehicles for the valley at around 4.10 am, while another convoy of 93 vehicles carrying 2,122 pilgrims was the first to leave for the Baltal base camp at 3.40 am.
With this, a total of 24,162 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley since June 30, the day the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.