SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Jammu on Sunday evening for a three-day visit to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Shah will conduct a detailed appraisal of security operations, development projects, and engage with senior BJP party members.
According to sources, Shah is set to land in Jammu around 6 p.m. from Jaipur, Rajasthan. Upon arrival, he will proceed directly to the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor, which will serve as his operational base throughout his stay in both Jammu and Srinagar. Later in the evening, around 8 p.m., Shah will visit Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Bhawan, the Bharatiya Janata Partyโs regional headquarters in Trikuta Nagar, for a closed-door interaction with BJP legislators and senior party strategists.
On the morning of April 7, Shah will tour the Border Security Forceโs forward post at Vinay in the Kathua district at approximately 10:30 a.m., where he will examine on-ground operational readiness and receive a detailed briefing on challenges posed by cross-border threats.
At 2 p.m. the same day, Shah is scheduled to meet the families of Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. The interaction, set to take place at Raj Bhavan, will also see him handing over appointment letters to select next-of-kin on compassionate grounds.
Following this, Shah is expected to pay a visit to the Shiv Temple in Gandhi Nagar before flying to Srinagar in the evening. Upon his arrival in the Valley, he will head to the residence of late DySP Humayun Bhat to express condolences to the bereaved family. Bhat, 32, was killed during a counter-terror operation in Kokernag on September 13, 2023, and was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra on Independence Day for his exceptional bravery.
The following day, April 8, Shah will convene a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan Srinagar at 11 a.m. to review the status of infrastructure, welfare schemes, and key development projects across the Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to participate in this development-centric session.
However, in a separate meeting scheduled for 1 p.m., Shah will assess the prevailing security dynamics in the region. This meeting will not include the participation of the Chief Minister, given that issues related to security and public order fall directly under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Lieutenant Governorโs administration. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, intelligence chiefs, and heads of central paramilitary forces are expected to be part of this critical security review.
The review will reportedly place specific emphasis on the Jammu region, particularly in areas such as Kathua and Udhampur, where increased infiltration attempts and terrorist activity in higher terrains have sparked concern. The discussion will likely shape a tactical blueprint aimed at completely sealing infiltration routes and rooting out terrorist elements operating from forested and mountainous zones in both Jammu and the Kashmir Valley.
Shah will return to the national capital later that afternoon, concluding a tour that is being widely seen as a demonstration of political intent and administrative oversight.
Notably, Shah has no individual meetings planned with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah or other representatives of the UT Government beyond the development review session.
Shahโs decision to stay at the Raj Bhavan throughout the visit, rather than opting for government guesthouses or hotel accommodations, is being interpreted as a deliberate political signal to show his trust in and proximity with Lieutenant Governor Sinha. Also, it conveys the Centreโs assertion that the LGโs office is the central authority in Jammu and Kashmirโs current governance model.
Political commentators see this as a reaffirmation of the post-Article 370 power structureโwhere the Union government maintains decisive control, and the administrative and constitutional command flows through centrally appointed institutions. The message is clear: Jammu and Kashmirโs governance, security, and future trajectory remain firmly tethered to New Delhiโs framework and authority.
