Following a recent terror assault in Pahalgam, Home Minister Amit Shah will travel to Jammu on Thursday for a security meeting in advance of the Amarnath Yatra.
All chiefs of forces involved in the security of the Amarnath Yatra have been instructed to visit Jammu & Kashmir to review the security deployment in the region amid a high alert in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam, according to people familiar with the matter who said on Wednesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Jammu for a security meeting on Thursday.
This will be Shah's second trip to J&K following the Pahalgam terror assault on April 22 and his first since Operation Sindoor.
The dates of the yearly Amarnath Yatra are set for July 3–August 9.
A terror attack on April 22 killed 26 civilians and injured numerous more in Pahalgam, which is one of the routes for the Yatra that leads to the temple in Chandanwari.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) also convened a review meeting for the Amarnath Yatra on Wednesday.
The DG of the CRPF was in Srinagar. In addition, he conducted an aerial inspection of the Yatra route following the security review meeting. In the upcoming days, additional DGs will also be visiting the UT. For Thursday's united meeting of all agencies with the home minister, some are probably going to take a plane to Jammu. Top leaders from every agency concerned in the security situation in UT will be present, along with the governor of J&K," one officer who asked to remain anonymous stated.
The home minister is expected to visit civilian areas that were shelled by Pakistan during the military clashes with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor earlier this month, he added, following Shah's meeting in Jammu on Thursday.
This time, additional paramilitary force companies will be added to increase security. The new actions that the military will conduct this time will become clearer in the days to come," stated another official.
Omar Abdullah, the chief minister, went to the Amarnath Yatra's Nunwan Base Camp on Tuesday to assess the pilgrimage's preparations.
Border Security Force (BSF) officials have also stated that increased border surveillance is in place and that the forces are still searching for infiltrators.
According to the police, they are moving quickly to install stronger and more efficient sensors that can identify any activity coming from the other side of the border.
According to figures released by the Union home ministry, the number of pilgrims who visited the Amarnath shrine last year was close to 512,000, the most in at least 12 years.