Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will felicitate cricketers Parvez Rasool and Manzoor Ahmad, and football player Mehrajuddin Wadoo in Srinagar on Thursday.
He will also felicitate gymnasts Palak Kaur and Bavleen Kaur along with members of the Real Kashmir Football Club at the Bakshi Indoor Stadium.
As part of an outreach to the Valley’s youth, Mr. Singh will address a meeting of the Sports Council. He is expected to announce a financial package for the creation of sports facilities in the State. The Centre has taken a decision to allocate ₹160 crore to develop 20 indoor stadiums in the State.
Mr. Singh begins his two-day visit to the State on Thursday and is expected to visit Kupwara in north Kashmir on Friday to meet people living near the Line of Control. He will also review the impact of the suspension of operations (SoO) that was announced by the Centre on May 16 to give relief to locals from cordon and search operations in the month of Ramzan.
Mr. Singh’s visit is significant as it comes amid the Centre’s changing strategy in the Kashmir Valley, which also includes a dialogue with separatist leaders. The Minister is likely to visit the border areas where the Centre has spent funds to create infrastructure like bunkers and shelters for people. This will be his third visit after the situation turned volatile in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016. Mr. Singh was to visit Kashmir University in March but it was cancelled due to “unforeseen situation.”
Mr. Singh is also expected to attend an iftar to be hosted by Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the evening.
During his visit, Mr. Singh will review the prevailing situation in the State, particularly in the border areas and the restive Valley, which has witnessed several incidents of violence in the recent past. Mr. Singh is likely to take a call on whether to extend the SoO beyond the month of Ramzan. He will meet Governor N.N. Vohra, Ms Mufti and senior civil, police and paramilitary officials.
“The Home Minister would also be reviewing the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra that commences on June 28. He could make an announcement on whether the SoO would be extended beyond Ramzan,” a senior official said.
The recent incidents of stone pelting, attacks on security forces in the Kashmir Valley and infiltration attempts along the border would also figure in Mr. Singh’s meetings with the security forces’ top brass, the official said.
Mr. Singh will visit Jammu on Friday. The Central government has already decided to construct more than 28,400 bunkers in Jammu and Kashmir for the safety of residents living along the border who often face shelling from the Pakistani side.