Defence Minister arrives on maiden visit to J&K, reviews security along LoC

Srinagar, Sept 29: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived here on Friday on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to review the security situation along the borders and in hinterland. This is the first visit of Ms Sitharaman after taking charge of the Defence Ministry earlier this month. At her arrival, Ms Sitharaman was received by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Devraj Anbu and Chinar Corps Commander J S Sandhu at the Technical Airfield in Srinagar. Ms Sitharaman, accompanied by Army chief General Bipin Rawat, straightaway went to frontier district of Kupwara and assessed the situation on the ground along the Line of Control (LoC), Defence sources told UNI. They said at the forward posts she was told about the measures taken to prevent infiltration from Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) by the field commanders. 'Ms Sitharaman also interacted with troops at the forward posts in north Kashmir,' they added. The Defence Minister was also given a detailed brief about the overall security situation in the Valley and on the borders. The first woman Defence Minister of the country will also visit Siachen, world's highest battle field, tomorrow. The visit comes at a time when Pakistani troops are violating 2003 ceasefire almost daily, particularly in Jammu region and attempts are being made from PoK to send trained militants into this side before the infiltration routes are closed due to snowfall. A large number of militants are waiting at launch pads to sneak into this side. Security forces, however, foiled a number of infiltration attempts and killed about a dozen militants during the past one month near the LoC. She was informed about the anti-infiltration grid already in operation along the LoC. UNI