Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived here on Saturday for his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since Article 370 was revoked in August 2019 and drove straight to meet the family of a police officer killed by militants.
The Home Minister, who is here on a three-day visit, was received at the technical airport by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and advisor Farooq Khan.
It was a day of heavy rain and snow in several parts of the Valley. “If the weather holds, he will visit Jammu on Sunday to address a public rally and return to Srinagar,” officials said.
Number one on his agenda was meeting the family of Jammu and Kashmir Police Inspector Parvaiz Ahmad, who was shot dead by militants on June 22 near his home in Nowgam on the outskirts of the city while he was returning after offering evening prayers at a mosque. Shah offered his condolences to the family and handed over documents of appointment to a government job to Ahmad’s widow, Fatima Akhtar, on compassionate grounds, a home ministry official said.
“Today visited the family of martyr Parvaiz Ahmad Dar and paid tributes to him. I and the nation are proud of his bravery. Jammu and Kashmir Police is making all efforts to realise the vision of PM Modi for a new JK,” Shah said in a tweet later.
After going to Nowgam, Shah reviewed the security situation and steps taken to combat militancy in Kashmir valley, particularly following the targeted killings of civilians, mostly non-local labourers and minorities.