Jammu

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited forward areas along the International Border (IB) in Kathua district, marking the beginning of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

During the visit, Shah toured the Gurnam and Bobiyian border outposts in the Hiranagar sector and interacted with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel deployed along the frontier.

The visit comes amid intensified efforts to strengthen border management aimed at preventing terrorist infiltration and curbing the smuggling of arms and narcotics. It also follows a series of heightened anti-terror operations in recent weeks, in which four hardcore Pakistani terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit were neutralised in nearly a dozen encounters across Kathua, Udhampur and Kishtwar districts.

Shah arrived in Jammu late on Thursday night and was received by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma.

At Bobiyian, the home minister virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for six welfare projects aimed at improving facilities for personnel guarding the border, officials said.

Later in the day, Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level security review meeting at Lok Bhavan in Jammu. He will also hand over compassionate appointment letters to the families of victims of terrorist violence.

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On Saturday, the home minister will preside over a review meeting on development initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir at Lok Bhavan, officials added.