On maiden J&K visit, Amit Shah’s focus more on security than political outreach

Home Minister reviews arrangements for Amarnath Yatra.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday on a two-day visit to J&K, with the thrust of the visit clearly focussed on security rather than any effort at political outreach.

Mr. Shah, who is on a maiden visit to the State as Union Home Minister, chaired a meeting of top security officials in Srinagar to review the arrangements made for the upcoming Amarnath yatra.

Governor Satya Pal Malik, also chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, attended the meeting.

Officials said the Minister was briefed about “foolproof arrangements and multi-tier security in place to ward off any attack” during the yatra.

Mr. Shah is set to take stock of the overall security situation, infiltration on the Line of Control and anti-militancy operations in a meeting of the Unified Headquarters comprising top officials of all security wings, on Thursday.

The Minister also met the BJP’s top leadership in the Valley. The families of BJP leaders who were killed by militants met Mr. Shah. He is also likely to visit the home of a slain police officer.

Mr. Shah’s visit comes against the backdrop of a fresh offer of talks made by Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq; an offer which was subsequently welcomed by Governor Malik.

However, the focus of Mr. Shah’s visit is more on security than any political reaching out, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In fact, unlike former Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Mr. Shah has not extended any invitation to the mainstream regional parties like the National Conference (NC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Shah is likely to meet local delegations on Thursday morning, including elected sarpanchs, but none of the prominent civil society groups in the Valley have been invited for feedback on the ground situation.

Meanwhile, a JKLF spokesman, in a statement, said there could be no dialogue unless the separatist leadership was released and a ban on political organisations lifted. The JKLF was banned earlier this year.

Tight security

Security was beefed up across the Valley during the Union ministers visit. All sensitive and volatile locations were sealed by the security forces.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) demanded that the order to impose restrictions around the Dal Lake for two days should be withdrawn.

“The move will cause tremendous inconvenience to tourists and persons associated with the tourism business,” said a KCCI spokesman. “It will prevent local customers from visiting hotels and Mughal Gardens situated in the sealed-off zone. It was only a few years ago when the then Union Home Minister had visited the city centre and interacted with people and shopped there,” the KCCI spokesman added.

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