Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, July 18 (KINS): Accompanied by Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Defence Minister visited the holy cave of Amarnathji Shrine in Kashmir and offered prayers there.
Officials told news agency Kashmir indepth News Service (KINS) that the Defence Minister spent about an hour at the temple complex and paid his respectful obeisances.
The Amarnath cave is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism and hundreds of thousands of devotees make an annual pilgrimage to it across challenging mountainous terrain.
“Feeling extremely blessed after praying at the Shri Amarnathji Holy Cave in Jammu and Kashmir”, he also tweeted.
The Defence Minister’s trip to the holy cave in Kashmir comes on the second day of his visit to Jammu & Kashmir.
On Friday Rajnath Singh reviewed the overall security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir with the top military brass in Srinagar which was also attended by J&K Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, Director General of J&K Police Dilbagh Singh and other senior officers of the civil administration.
He has asked the armed forces to give a fitting reply to any ‘misadventure’ by Pakistan. At a high-level meeting, the defence minister had also asked the armed forces to maintain a strict vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.
Meanwhile Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the afternoon on Saturday visited the forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, on his second day visit to Union Territories (UTs) J&K and Ladakh
An official said Singh visited Kupwara’s forward posts and interacted with the Army officials, who briefed him about the counter-infiltration grid.
“I visited a forward post near the LoC in Kupwara and interacted with the soldiers deployed there. We are extremely proud of these brave and courageous soldiers who are defending our country in every situation”, Singh tweeted after the visit.
His visit comes amid the growing number of ceasefire violations along LoC by Pakistan and infiltration bids from across the LoC.(KINS)
