Two Army soldiers were killed and many others were injured when militants opened fire on their convoy moving on the Srinagar-Jammu highway near Lower Munda Qazigund in South Kashmir. Reports said that it was a sneak attack and it has brought back the focus on the highway attacks by militants in the past and has also brought the Amarnath yatra at the centre stage as South Kashmir is infested with militancy.
Recently the director general of police, S.P. Vaid told the media that there was no threat to the Amarnath yatra and said that all security measures have been taken for the yatra to go on smoothly.
In the wake of the latest attack, police said that fresh measures would be taken to make the highway secure for the Amarnath yatris.
Meanwhile, the melting of snow has opened many infiltration passes in the Kashmir valley and some of the recent infiltration attempts have reinforced the fears that the LOC would be hot throughout the summer of 2017.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, providing the contours of his new policy, said that the Army and security forces would continue to militarily dominate the LOC. He blamed Pakistan for not responding to New Delhi’s attempts to create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue.
Army Chief Bipin Rawat visited Kashmir along with chiefs of seven Army commands and the Director General of Military Operations. They are holding a two-day session in Srinagar to discuss the operational preparedness and strategy for the western front. On the day of his arrival, LoC shelling intensified in Krishna Ghati, Mehandir and Nowshera sectors. The Army retaliated and later the Pakistan media reported that many of their civilians were killed. Pakistan also summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner to protest the civilian killings. The shelling in the entire Rajouri sector started in May, leading to migration of hundreds of villagers to the makeshift government shelters. The latest shelling has forced dozens of families to migrate to safer places as one GREF driver Parvez Ahmed was killed and two other workers were injured near the border in Mehandir sector.
The Army has decided to be very pro-active all along the border as they killed six militants near the border in the Uri sector a few days back. With media reports saying dozens of militants are ready to cross over, the summer of 2017 may be chaotic.