Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Jammu on 3-day tour of J&K

Jammu — Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached here Sunday evening to commence his three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, his first after the formation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government in the Union Territory in October last year.

Shah was received at the technical airport by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and some senior BJP leaders, officials said, adding the home minister will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives during his tour.

He is scheduled to visit the BJP headquarters at Trikuta Nagar Sunday night to attend a meeting of party MLAs and other office bearers.

The visit of Shah to the BJP headquarters coincided with the party’s foundation day which was celebrated by BJP activists and leaders at the headquarters with great fervour earlier during the day.

Police and security forces have been put on high alert in view of Shah’s visit, the officials said.

On Monday, Shah will visit the BSF Border Outpost Vinay in Kathua and assess the ground situation there.

Later in the day, he will meet the family members of the martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu and also present appointment letters to some of them selected on compassionate grounds.

On April 8, Shah will first take stock of various development programmes in the UT at a meeting to be held at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

Subsequently, he will attend another meeting at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar where the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir will be reviewed, the officials said.

Earlier in the day, J&K BJP president Sat Sharma hoisted the party flag at the party headquarters in presence of senior party leaders including MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, and Leader of Opposition in J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma.

Senior party leaders also hoisted party flags at all organizational district headquarters, BJP offices, and at the rooftops of the houses of the BJP activists across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the party’s 46th foundation day, a party spokesperson said. — (PTI)