J&K infiltration sends tremors; high-level meeting today

Amid reports of large-scale infiltration by militants mainly belonging to Lashker-e-Taiba, a high-level meeting to be chaired by Union Home and Defence Secretaries will be held in Kashmir today to review the security situation.

Amid reports of large-scale infiltration by militants mainly belonging to Lashker-e-Taiba, a high-level meeting to be chaired by Union Home and Defence Secretaries will be held in Kashmir on Thursday to review the security situation.

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Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh will discuss with the state government officials about the recent long encounters taking place along the Line of Control in North Kashmir and the preparedness in meeting the challenge ahead of general elections.

Among those attending the meeting will be Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda, Corps Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt General Bikram Singh and other senior officials of Army, Police and Intelligence agencies.

Earlier, the Centre had asked the state to divert some of the Central Paramilitary Forces from the state for election duties in other parts of the country but the same was opposed saying it would affect the counter-insurgency operations going on there.

Security forces are on high alert in the state after movement of suspected militants was noticed on the other side of LoC in Gurez and Machil sectors. The Army had even engaged a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate in Gurez last week.

Despite conflicting claims by the Army, security agencies believed that nearly 80 militants mainly of Lashker-e-Taiba had entered into the Valley.