J&K LG chairs unified command meeting on Amarnath Yatra, current security situation

Srinagar, May 20 (IANS) J&K Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Tuesday, chaired a meeting of the unified command here to review the security arrangements for the annual Amarnath Yatra, as well as the current situation in the UT.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary and top Army, police, and other officials.

"The meeting reviewed the current situation in the Union Territory and security arrangements for the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to commence from July 3 this year," a source said.

“The meeting also focused on the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack and the situation that evolved post ‘Operation Sindoor’ in Jammu and Kashmir," the source added.

According to sources, the Lt Governor emphasised that the army, police, and paramilitary officials must completely dismantle the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam by LeT terrorists in which 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, were killed, joint forces of army, police, and other security forces have started aggressive operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and their sympathisers across J&K.

Last week, six terrorists were killed in two back-to-back operations in Shopian and Pulwama districts.

The slain terrorists included the operational commander of the LeT.

Apart from the diplomatic measures, India ordered precision-guided targeted strikes at terrorists' headquarters deep inside Pakistan, including Muridke near Lahore, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Pakistan reacted by Indiscriminate mortar shelling on the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB) in J&K.

Over 200 houses and shops were destroyed in the shelling on civilian facilities in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Hundreds of border residents were forced to abandon their homes, livestock, and agricultural fields.

These hapless civilians are yet to fully return to their villages as the security forces are still busy defusing unexploded mortar shells in the border villages.

On May 12, DGMOs of the two countries agreed to a ceasefire after which guns on both sides fell silent.

The ceasefire is holding well, although India had made it clear that the understanding will last only as long as Pakistan does not allow terrorist activity against India from its soil.

--IANS

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