Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 3: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh along with a high level team of Ministry of Home Affairs and BSF is arriving on two days tour of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after taking over as the Home Minister of the country from September 5 to review security situation at high level and visit the International Border (IB) for on spot assessment of the situation in the wake of heavy shelling and firing by Pakistan.
Rajnath will visit three Border Out Posts (BOPs) of BSF in RS Pura and Arnia sectors, meet the border people, assess damage caused to civilian property and review situation with top MHA and BSF officials apart from civil and police administration of the State. He will also visit Jagti migrant camps, Neeru post of BSF in Gurez sector of Kashmir and hold high level review of security scenario in the Unified Headquarters (UHQ) apart from separate meetings with Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Home Minister accompanied by Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami, Secretary MHA (Border Management) Sneh Lata, DG BSF DK Pathak and other senior officials would reach Jammu at 9.15 am on September 5 and fly to RS Pura.
He will visit forward villages of RS Pura, Octroi and Arnia, which were worst affected by the Pakistan shelling and firing in which three civilians and a BSF jawan were killed and many others were injured while the people had suffered huge loss of property. He will meet the people, visit their houses to assess damage and ascertain their problems.
Sources said the Home Minister could make some important announcements for the benefit of border migrants during his visit. He was earlier scheduled to visit the border areas on August 29 but had to defer the visit in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5 days tour to Japan. Modi returned from Japan this afternoon.
Sources said the Home Minister would hold high level review of the border situation at Octroi Post in RS Pura sector with top officials of MHA, BSF, civil and police administration including the measures required to protect the civilians in the event of sudden firing by Pakistan. Singh could announce some decisions on long pending demands of the border people on construction of bunkers to protect them from firing.
The MHA, BSF, civil and police officials would brief the Home Minister of Pakistan firing and shelling for about 45 days and effective reply given by the BSF. Top BSF officials of Jammu Frontiers including IG Rakesh Sharma would also brief Rajnath Singh, who will also have lunch with BSF officers at Octroi Post.
After the border visit, Rajnath will fly to Nagrota and visit Jagti camps of Kashmiri Pandit migrants. He would address the migrants and unveil the Centre’s roadmap for return of the migrants and till then the facilities required by them in the camps. He will meet representatives of the Pandit organizations in Jagti Camp.
In the afternoon, the Home Minister along with his team will fly to Srinagar, where he would co chair Unified Headquarters meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at 5 pm. Top brass of Army, para-military forces, Intelligence agencies, civil and police administration, who are part of the Unified Command will attend the meeting.
Sources said the Home Minister will review the security scenario ahead of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir with the representatives of different agencies. He will get the briefing from the concerned agencies about their assessment of the situation within the State and on the borders in addition to requirement of para-military forces from the Centre for smooth conduct of election.
The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are due to be held in November-December this year.
The Home Minister will later have one-to-one meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to discuss security situation of the State. He will have dinner meeting with Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar, where he would also have the night stay.
The Governor and the Chief Minister will brief the Home Minister on their aspect of the situation in the State.
On September 6, Rajnath Singh will visit forward BSF post of Neeru in Gurez sector of Kashmir to review the situation prevailing on the borders including efforts being made by Pakistan to push trained militants into Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Assembly elections. He will have lunch with the BSF officers and jawans at the extreme forward post and then return to Srinagar. He will fly back to New Delhi in the afternoon.
PTI adds from Jaipur: asserting that India wants good relations with neighbouring countries, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that Pakistan should avoid violation of ceasefire.
“Pakistan is repeatedly violating ceasefire and it should avoid it. India has generally not violated ceasefire. As far as India is concern, we want to keep good relations with our neighbouring countries,” Singh said.
The Minister was in the city to address the heads of police training academies of the country at the national symposium at the Rajasthan Police Academy here.
He said that there was a huge list of remarkable works done by the Union Government in 100 days during which the country was able to strengthen its position at the international level.
“We have several achievements of the 100 day of governance to highlight and I do not want to compare them with the previous Government.
“The biggest achievement was that after formation of the Government and becoming of Narendra Modi Prime Minister, India’s credibility and reputation in the international community has increased,” he said, while rejecting that there was any faction in the Government.
“There is no faction, but action in our Government,” he commented.
About the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Japan, he said that it was successful and has strengthened the ties between the two countries.
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