Shinde in Jammu and Kashmir for three-day visit

Jammu  :  Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde arrived here Friday for a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir during which he will visit border areas and the Valley.

The home minister was received at the technical area of Jammu airport by Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani, state Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad, senior officers of paramilitary forces and the provincial administration.

Shinde then left for the Poonch district of Jammu region, where he is visiting the Chakan Da Bagh cross Line of Control (LOC) trade facilitation centre.

Shinde will review the progress of the cross LOC trade and also meet some delegations of traders to discuss the problems faced by them, officials said.

In the afternoon, Shinde will visit the Suchetgarh international border in Jammu district where he is scheduled to attend a briefing by officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) manning the international border.

During the last two week, Pakistan Rangers have violated the bilateral ceasefire a number of times, heightening tensions along the international border in the Jammu region.

The home minister will also meet some local delegations, including one from the Congress party, in the circuit house here before his departure for the Kashmir Valley.

Governor N.N. Vohra is hosting a dinner in honour of the home minister at Raj Bhawan in summer capital Srinagar where he is scheduled to spend the night.

On Saturday, Shinde will attend a meeting of the unified headquarters chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to review the overall law and order situation in the state.

The unified headquarters is the apex security grid in the state comprising top officials of the army, paramilitary forces, central and state intelligence agencies besides the state police force.

The home minister will also pay obeisance at the Hazratbal shrine Saturday.

Shinde had last week visited the Leh and Kargil towns of the state.