Ahead of J&K visit, Rajnath Singh scraps border embankment

The Home Minister will also chair a meeting of security officers of the Army, paramilitary forces and state police in Srinagar. The top officials will brief him about the situation at the Line of Control and the Valley, especially south Kashmir, where ‘Operation All-Out’ has been launched against militants. Sources said Singh could also visit south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The minister on Friday said he was going to Kashmir with an open mind and was willing to meet all those who wanted to meet him. “We want a resolution to the problems,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

The embankment in question was to be constructed at the international border where the BSF is deployed as a first line of defence. Ministry sources said the decision to scrap the proposal for an embankment was taken for “strategic reasons” as a ditch-cum-bund would pose hurdles in movement of forces in case of military operations.

The proposal was initiated by the UPA government in 2013 after the twin attacks in the Samba sector. The Home Minister’s visit coincides with the visit of a Congress delegation led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. According to officials, the Congress team is slated to visit the state from September 10-16.

With inputs from ENS Srinagar