Amit Shah on two-day Srinagar visit, likely to chair security review meeting

Srinagar, May 16 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a two-day visit of Srinagar from Thursday during which he is likely to chair a security review meeting.

Shah arrived at a Srinagar hotel where he is scheduled to meet local BJP leaders ahead of the remaining two phases of elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

A local BJP leader said Shah’s visit to Kashmir is not political.

“The Union home minister is coming to Kashmir but the visit is not political. Elections are underway. The voter turnout on May 13 is a huge success of the central government’s policies, including the abrogation of Article 370,” Sunil Sharma, the general secretary of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, told reporters earlier in the day.

“I think the home minister is coming to review the measures from a security point of view to increase the turnout and create an atmosphere of peace. There is no political activity but the BJP workers will meet him and discuss the party’s organisational matters,” he added.

Sharma was referring to the Srinagar constituency, which went to the polls on May 13 and registered a voter turnout of nearly 38 per cent — the second highest in many decades.

Asked if a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation will meet the home minister, Sharma said there is no such meeting scheduled.

Any non-political or senior people can meet Shah but no political delegation is meeting him, Sharma added.

Shah is likely to be briefed about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir by the top security brass as the Lok Sabha elections will be followed by the annual Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to start on June 29 and conclude on August 19.

The Union Territory might witness assembly elections after the yatra as the Supreme Court has set a deadline of September 30 for holding the polls.