STATE TIMES NEWS
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning Thursday during which he will review the overall security situation in the Union territory.
The defence minister will visit various forward areas and review the preparedness of Indian armed forces.
“Tomorrow, 16th June, I would be in Jammu & Kashmir for a two-day visit. I shall be visiting forward areas and interacting with troops during my visit,” the defence minister said in a tweet.
“Also, I shall attend the 200th anniversary of Maharaja Gulab Singh Ji’s ‘Rajyabhishek Ceremony’ in Jammu on 17th June, Friday,” he said.
Official sources said senior commanders of the Indian Army are scheduled to brief Singh about the overall security situation in the hinterland as well as along the Line of Control (LoC).
Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a spate of killings of innocent civilians in the past few weeks triggering apprehensions of an intense cycle of violence in the region. The security forces have intensified their anti-terror operations in view of the killings.
The sources said the defence minister will be apprised about the situation along the LoC and the International Border (IB).
In a significant move aimed at reducing tensions, the Indian and Pakistani armies on February 25 last year announced that they would cease firing across the LoC while recommitting themselves to a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
