Army chief arrives on maiden visit to J&K; will review security today

UT put on high alert ahead of Republic Day

JAMMU: Days after taking over as Indian Army chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived here on his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to review security operations in the region, even as an high alert has been sounded in the union territory after intelligence inputs suggest of possible terror strikes ahead of the Republic Day.

The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) arrived in Udhampur and is scheduled to review the state of security operations in Valley, as well as the operational preparedness along the Line of Control in Jammu region.

This is the first visit of Naravane to Jammu and Kashmir, after he took over as the army chief on January 1. Earlier on January 9, he had visited forward posts in Siachen Sector in Ladakh, which in now separated from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"General Manoj Mukund Naravane is visiting on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to review ongoing security operations in the region today," said Army officials early on Wednesday.

Defence sources confirmed that the chief reached Udhampur, the headquarters of Army’s Northern Command where he was received by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh.

The Army chief is scheduled to review the security situation in UT on Thursday.

“The Army chief will take stock of security scenario in the Union Territory in a meeting of senior officers at Northern command headquarters tomorrow,” they said.

The Northern Command will brief Naravane on the status of security operations currently underway in the Kashmir Valley as well as the Line of Control (LoC).

The Army chief is also scheduled to visit the army positions close to the Line of Control to review operations there, against the backdrop of several ceasefire incidents in the recent past, they said.

Gen Naravane took over as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on December 31, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who has become India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

His maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir comes amidst a high alert in the region following intelligence inputs suggest of possible terror strikes ahead of the Republic Day.

The sources said that the entire Union Territory of J&K has been put on high alert as Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) plans a "spectacular suicide strike" on the eve of the first Republic Day after the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Last week a telephonic intercept of a JeM commander near Rajouri sector has revealed that Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his close aides were desperately plotting a "spectacular strike" in India, disclosed a report of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

There are inputs that militants could launch suicide attacks on security installations in south Kashmir and defence positions across the south of Pir Panjal in the Jammu region.

According to inputs, terrorist movement has also been traced in areas of Srinagar and Budgam districts.

The IB report says that after the arrest of five JeM associates in Srinagar, it was revealed during their interrogation that the terrorists were instructed by their handlers in Pakistan to execute a series of attacks across the Valley on eve of Republic Day.

The arrested terrorists -- identified as Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh, Umar Hameed Sheikh, Imtiyaz Ahmed Chikla, Sahil Farooq Gojri and Naseer Ahmed Mir -- were in touch with a JeM commander based in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

"They (five operatives) threw two hand grenades in the Hazratbal area. But it seems it was an attempt to test water. We have inputs that the Jaish module, including Pakistani terrorists, are in the Valley and are plotting a much bigger strike. The target could be somewhere in Srinagar or even Delhi," said a senior officer of Jammu and Kashmir police.

The IB report further disclosed that Maulana Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the Pathankot and Pulwama terror attacks, was recently spotted at Markaz Subhanallah, the headquarters of JeM located in Bhawalpur town of Pakistan.

The Markaz is spread over 3 acres of land and hosts over 600 newly recruited cadres of JeM who are later selected for military training at terror camps located in PoJK.

Azhar, who was seriously ill early last year, was treated at an army hospital and joined the Markaz after a few months. The Pakistan government has remained silent about Masood Azhar, his location and the action taken against him on interpol notices.

The J&K Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, on Wednesday said that the security has been beefed up in the UT.

"We have strengthened the security measures in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley ahead of the Republic Day," he said.

“We have done all preparations on the ground. Preparations have been done in all districts of the valley. All security arrangements have been put in place in Srinagar as well. I think all other arrangements have also been done for the January 26 function and this function will take place smoothly,” the DGP said.