Srinagar:

The Election Commission of India has confirmed that it will visit Jammu and Kashmir next week to review preparations for elections. The move is being seen as an indication that the Assembly elections in the Union Territory will be held before the deadline of September 30 set by the Supreme Court.

The full commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will meet officials of the administration as well as representatives of political parties in Srinagar and Jammu during the visit, which will take place from August 8 to 10, it was announced on Friday. 

Sources said the commission is expected to announce the Assembly polls sometime after  August 15 to meet the September 30 deadline. 

In December last year, while delivering its verdict on Article 370, a five-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had directed the poll body to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory by September 30. It had also asked the Centre to restore statehood at the earliest.

On Wednesday, the Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officials posted in their home districts as well as those connected with the election process who will be completing a three-year tenure on or before September 30.

Similar directions had been given to the chief secretaries of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due later this year.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held in December 2014.

Next week, Jammu and Kashmir will also complete five years as a Union Territory. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was removed. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by the lieutenant governor.

The Centre has also recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, giving sweeping powers to the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory. The amendments are in line with the Delhi Union Territory model, where the elected government has little authority over bureaucracy and many powers are vested in the Lieutenant Governor.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly to the Centre’s move and termed it “anti-democratic”. They allege that giving sweeping powers to the LG will make the elected government a rubber stamp.

During his visit to Srinagar in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Assembly elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon, and statehood would also be restored.

New Delhi:

One soldier was killed in action and four others were injured during an encounter with terrorists along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district today.

The Army said a “Pakistani person” was also killed in the encounter and confirmed injuries to its two soldiers.

Sources say it appears to be an attack by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT)- who were involved in multiple attacks before ceasefire understating between India and Pakistan in February 2021.

“This an aggressive action and clearly an escalation along the LOC” said a senior officer. 

This comes a day after Kargil Vijay Diwas when Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a stern warning to Pakistan and said that the Indian Army would defeat every terror challenge. 

In a statement on X, the Army said there was an exchange of fire with unidentified persons but didn’t name Pakistan army or terrorists.

“There has been exchange of fire with unidentified personnel on a forward post in Kamkari, Macchal Sector on the line of control. One Pakistani person has been killed while two of our soldiers have suffered injuries and have been evacuated. Operations are in progress.”

Firing in Macchal Sect

There has been exchange of fire with unidentified personnel on a forward post in Kamkari, Macchal Sector on the line of control. One Pakistani person has been killed while two of our soldiers have suffered injuries and have been evacuated.

Operations are… pic.twitter.com/DAOCpovrYT

— Chinar Corps – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) July 27, 2024

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi earlier this week visited the LOC in the same area and reviewed preparedness of the forces to deal with infiltration and terrorist attacks.

Amid rising terror incidents, PM Modi last month chaired a review meeting to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

He spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and was given a full overview of the security-related situation of the Union Territory and the counter-terrorism operations being undertaken by the armed forces.

He also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and was briefed on the efforts being undertaken by the local administration.

Sources told NDTV that the Prime Minister has asked the authorities to deploy the full spectrum of the armed forces’ counter-terror capabilities.

New Delhi:

The recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir show that terrorism has been forced to shrink to a proxy war from highly organised acts of violence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said at a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation. The minister said the fight against terror in the Union Territory is in its decisive phase. 

In Sunday’s meeting at the North Block, which was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and Army Chief Manoj Pande among others, Mr Shah also directed security agencies to replicate the successes achieved in Kashmir valley through the area domination and the Zero Terror Plan in the Jammu division as well. 

The recent attacks, in which nine pilgrims and a CRPF personnel were killed, had taken place in Jammu. 

Reiterating the zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, Mr Shah asserted that the PM Narendra Modi-led government will leave no stone unturned in rooting out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. The home minister directed security agencies to work in mission mode and ensure quick response in a coordinated manner while identifying vulnerable areas and addressing security concerns there.

Pointing out the changes that have come about in the Kashmir Valley, the minister said the efforts of the government of India have yielded positive results with a significant reduction in terror-related incidents and this is reflected in the record flow of tourists in the Kashmir Valley.

He also appreciated the role of the security agencies and the Jammu and Kashmir administration for the successful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections, which witnessed a record voter turnout in the Union Territory.

Officials said the home minister was given a thorough briefing on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the places where security forces plan to intensify counter-terrorism operations in the coming days.

Mr Shah’s meeting came three days after the Prime Minister held a similar stock-taking exercise and directed officials to deploy the “full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities”.

Terror Attacks

Terrorists struck four places in the Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir in as many days last week, killing nine pilgrims headed to a temple as well as a CRPF personnel. Seven security personnel and several others were injured. Two suspected Pakistani terrorists were also killed in an encounter in Kathua.

On June 9, terrorists opened fire on a 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra from the Shiv Khori temple. The bus, which had pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a gorge, killing nine people and injuring 41 others.

On June 11, terrorists fired at a joint checkpost of the Rashtriya Rifles and police at Chattergalla in Bhaderwah while a search party in the Gandoh area of Doda district was attacked the next day, resulting in injuries to seven security personnel, including a policeman.

Security For Amarnath Yatra 

In another meeting, the home minister reviewed the preparations for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage and said the government’s priority is to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra so that pilgrims don’t face any difficulties. The yatra begins on June 29 and Mr Shah instructed to ensure sufficient deployment of personnel.

Under the leadership of PM Modi, the government is committed to ensure a convenient and hassle-free experience for devotees and adopt eco-friendly measures in management of the Amarnath pilgrimage.

Over 4.5 lakh devotees visited the cave shrine last year. The pilgrims travel through two routes, Baltal and Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Jammu:

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set up a six-member committee to identify foreign nationals who are illegally staying in the Union Territory since January 2011. 

The home department in an order stated that the committee will prepare a monthly report and submit it by the seventh day of every month to the Union home ministry.

The financial commissioner-cum-additional chief secretary of the home department will be the chairperson of the panel which was constituted in response to a November 26, 2020, communication by the home ministry, the order read.

The members of the committee include the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) of Punjab, senior superintendents of police (SSPs), the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Special Branch) of both Jammu and Srinagar, and all SSPs and SPs (Foreigners Registration Office).

In 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had launched a major crackdown against illegal immigrants and detained over 270 Rohingyas from Myanmar, including 74 women and 70 children, at the sub-jail in Kathua district’s Hiranagar.

The jail was eventually turned into a holding centre for foreigners staying illegally in the Union Territory.

Rohingyas are a Bengali-dialect speaking Muslim minority in Myanmar. Following persecution in their country, many of them entered India illegally through Bangladesh and took shelter in Jammu and other parts of the country.

More than 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, where their population has increased by more than 6,000 between 2008 and 2016, according to government data.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)