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Amit Shah visits forward areas along IB in Kathua, chairs security review meet in Jammu
He also laid the foundation stone for ₹250 crore infrastructure projects of the BSF along the IB in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday visited forward areas along the International Border (IB) in Kathua. He also laid the foundation stone for ₹250 crore infrastructure projects of the BSF along the IB in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district. A slew of technology driven measures are part of the project to check infiltration of armed Pakistani terrorists.
Shah also visited ‘Gurnam’ and ‘Bobiya’ border posts located on the India-Pakistan border during the second day of his Jammu visit
“The home minister paid floral tributes to the martyrs at the Ajey Prahari memorial and also planted a sapling at the border outpost Bobiya,” said an official statement.
Shah inaugurated projects worth ₹7 crore for the welfare of troops, including newly built solar water heaters, solar power plants, and an officers’ mess.
He also laid the foundation stone for the BSF infrastructure projects worth ₹242 crore.
The event was attended by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, union home secretary, director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), director general of the Border Security Force, and other senior officials.
Addressing BSF personnel, Shah said that whenever he visits BSF posts located in remote and challenging areas of Kutch, Rajasthan, or Jammu and Kashmir, he always returns with values of duty consciousness and unwavering commitment from the soldiers posted there.
He said that during such visits, he witnesses how BSF personnel perform their duties with deep dedication under difficult and challenging conditions.
He described BSF personnel as the finest example of discipline and dedication, standing firm day and night to protect the nation’s borders. He added that the BSF’s glorious 60-year history has instilled the same sense of discipline among the people of the country.
‘BSF an impregnable wall, resolute in commitment to safeguarding nation’
Shah said that whenever the nation’s borders have faced threats of intrusion or infiltration, the BSF has stood like an impregnable wall, resolute in its commitment to safeguarding the country.
He stated that the bravery and valor displayed by the BSF during ‘Operation Sindoor’ have added a golden chapter to its six-decade-long history.
Even in the most challenging times, BSF personnel upheld the spirit of “we are the sentinels of the border.”
He said that the BSF’s Jammu and Kashmir Frontier completely destroyed 118 Pakistani posts and three terrorist launch pads. In this operation, sub-inspector Mohammad Imtiaz Ahmad and constable Deepak Chingakham, who laid down their lives in the line of duty, were awarded the Vir Chakra.
He noted that border-related challenges have changed significantly over the past 60 years. While the courage, alertness, and dedication of personnel remain crucial, many emerging challenges are now technology-driven. Therefore, advanced technological solutions must be adopted to effectively address them.
He recalled that during the BSF Raising Day celebrations, he had announced that the 61st year of the BSF would be dedicated to modernization, as well as to the welfare of BSF personnel and their families.
Army chief, top brass in attendance at security meet
Shah chaired a security review meeting here with Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and senior officials from the security establishment in attendance, to assess the prevailing security situation in J&K, officials said.
The meeting assumes significance amid stepped up anti-terror operations that led to neutralisation of four hardened Pakistan-native terrorists linked with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) following nearly a dozen encounters in Kathua, Udhampur and Kishtwar districts of Jammu region over the past two weeks.
This is the second security review meeting chaired by the Union home minister within a month. On January 8, Shah chaired a high-level review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir security in Delhi, and directed continuation of counter-terror operations targeting terror infrastructure and financing in “mission mode”. He also asserted that all resources will be made available to achieve the goal of “terror-free” Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.
Besides the Army chief, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding Jammu-based White Knight Corps Lt Gen P K Mishra, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Praveen Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force DG G P Singh, and other senior military, police, civil and intelligence officers attended the meeting at the Lok Bhavan, officials said.
The meeting started shortly after the Shah’s return from the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district where he visited border outposts and addressed the BSF troops, officials said.
They said the meeting is expected to review the ongoing anti-terrorist operations and the anti-infiltration grid, besides the measures taken to counter drone activities from across the border, amid intelligence reports suggesting the presence of terrorists waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate into India.
