Amit Shah directs security forces to ensure peaceful Amarnath Yatra

The Home Minister will visit the border district of Poonch on Friday, where he will address the civilians who were hit by Pakistan's shelling

Jammu: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed all security agencies to ensure a completely peaceful upcoming Amarnath Yatra while maintaining utmost vigil and alertness.

Amit Shah reached here late Thursday evening and immediately chaired a security review meeting at the Raj Bhawan.

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The high-level security review meeting was attended by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat and other top officials of MHA, Army, paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police, civil administration and Intelligence agencies from the Centre and the UT.

Union Home Minister took a threadbare review of the security arrangements and the preparedness for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra.

He instructed to maintain utmost vigilance and ensure peaceful completion of the Yatra. He said both the Central and UT administrations will leave no stone unturned to facilitate the pilgrims with all necessary facilities.

“Chaired a review meeting for the Amarnath pilgrimage and evaluated security arrangements and preparedness meant for the pilgrims. Instructed to maintain utmost vigilance and ensure seamless completion of the sacred journey. Central Government and J&K administration will leave no stone unturned to facilitate pilgrims with all necessary facilities”, Amit Shah said on X after chairing the meeting Thursday evening. The meeting lasted nearly one hour and 30 minutes.

The Home Minister will visit the border district of Poonch on Friday, where he will address the civilians who were hit by Pakistan’s shelling. He will also address the BSF soldiers at their Unit Headquarters at Khanetar, visit damaged religious places and distribute appointment letters to the next of kin of those killed in the shelling.

The focus of Thursday’s meeting was on the security and other arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra, in addition to zero tolerance to infiltration and terrorism. The latest security in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 came up for thorough discussion as police and security agencies gave an update to the Union Home Minister.

Sources said that the home minister directed security agencies to ensure that terrorists, including those involved in the Pahalgam killings, are brought to justice without any delay.

“A strategy to step up search operations against the terrorists, including the upper reaches of the Jammu region, has also been devised. There has been the presence of the terrorists, mainly Pakistanis, in the hills of Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch. During the past couple of months, several contacts have been established by security forces with terrorists in these areas.

“The Union home minister also discussed various facilities being made available for the pilgrims by the civil administration,” sources added. Amarnath Yatra 2025 begins on July 3 and will end on August 9 after 38 days.