Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Srinagar today for a two-day official visit during which he will assess the current security situation and interact with various delegations.
On Wednesday, Sunil Sethi, senior politician and chief spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party, confirmed the Union Home Minister's visit to Srinagar, which will begin tomorrow, but said he was unaware of his schedule.
"His visit, which will be limited to Srinagar, is primarily intended to assess the security situation, but he is also scheduled to meet delegations representing various groups," said the official, with the customary caveat that input was 'tentative.'
"He will arrive in Srinagar at approximately 6 p.m., straight from Darbhanga (in Bihar). After his arrival, he will meet with many delegations, including the party delegation, in the Nehru Guest House.
According to reports, he will spend the night in Srinagar and travel back to the Union capital in the afternoon on May 17.
While briefing the media gathering, the spokesperson said, "He would be meeting people as home minister and not as senior BJP leader when asked about the specifics of whether there were any plans to meet other political parties like Apni Party, etc."
Before the Union Home Minister's visit on May 11, Union Home Secretary AK Bhalla conducted a brief security review in Srinagar, which went to elections in the fourth phase on May 13.
Security forces and electoral officials deem all three Kashmir parliamentary constituencies problematic
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This would be Shah's second visit to J&K before the general elections in 2024.
On April 16, Shah said the party had decided not to field any candidates, although they would assist like-minded parties in Kashmir. "We are here to win the hearts of the people of Kashmir, not to occupy land, as our political adversaries claim.
"My sole request to Kashmiri people, particularly the young, is to vote for any party but not for the three dynasty parties of the Gandhis, Abdullahs, and Muftis, who have wrecked Kashmir," Shah said during the rally.
Though party officials have declined to associate the Union Home Minister's visit with any political agenda, political observers are attempting to "read between the lines" and "tread beyond the specified itinerary."
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