Operation Shiva: Security forces prepare to guard Amarnath Yatra

In Delhi, national security adviser Ajit Doval and defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately and briefed him on the latest security developments after the April 22 strike that killed 26 people and sparked the worst crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, the officials said, asking not to be named.

Over the weekend, the chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and the navy chief, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, briefed Modi on the operational readiness of the two services and the current security dynamics in the region. The meetings were significant as the PM has granted the military a free hand to respond forcefully to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Operation Shiva is an annual multi-agency effort, but this year the challenges of securing and monitoring the yatra route from Jammu right up to the 13,000-foot sacred cave in south Kashmir’s mountains have been magnified by the rare and targeted terror strike on Hindu tourists at Baisaran near Pahalgam, said one of the officials.

The yatra will be conducted from July 3 to August 9.

Last year, 5.1 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine --- the highest in 12 years.

One of the two main routes that serve the cave passes through Pahalgam and at one point is barely six km from the site of the Baisaran attack that was reminiscent of the heyday of terrorism in the 1990s and 2000s and the worst strike on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes.

The other route is in the north, from Baltal near Sonamarg.

“The Pakistan Army has been violating the ceasefire daily after the Pahalgam strike. This pattern could also be linked to supporting terrorist infiltration attempts. The safety of the pilgrims is a top priority. The security forces have perfected their drills over the years and will leave nothing to chance,” said another official, associated with Operation Shiva.

On Monday, the Pakistan Army escalated tensions along the LoC by firing at Indian posts in several sectors, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor, marking the 11th straight day of ceasefire violations, the officials said.

The Indian Army’s counter-fire was measured but effective, they added.

The neighbouring army had opened fire in these eight sectors on Sunday too, the maximum number of areas it targeted on a single day since the Pahalgam terror attack.

The extensive ceasefire violations are being seen as a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to escalate tensions along the de facto border, where it has rushed reinforcements to bolster its posture.

The separate meetings between the PM, and the NSA and defence secretary, came a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh pledged a crushing response to those who threaten India’s security and assured the country that under “Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, whatever you want will certainly happen.”

Modi has already underlined that the armed forces have complete operational freedom to choose “the mode, targets, and timing of the response” to the terror attack that has stretched fragile ties with Pakistan to a breaking point.

“As the defence minister, it is my responsibility to work with my soldiers and ensure the security of the country’s borders. It is also my responsibility to work with the armed forces and give a crushing reply to those who threaten India,” the defence minister said on Sunday.

The Pakistan Army, which has repeatedly targeted Indian posts after the Pahalgam terror attack, on April 30 opened fire across the international border (IB) for the first time since the strike in a brazen attempt to escalate hostilities. Pakistani soldiers then fired at Indian positions along the IB in the Pargwal sector near Jammu, and along the LoC in sectors including Akhnoor, Naushera, Sunderbani, Baramulla and Kupwara, seeking to open a wider front to engage the Indian Army.

The repeated targeting of Indian posts has sparked the most extensive cross-border exchange since the 2021 ceasefire.

The Pakistan military was on April 29 warned against the unprovoked firings along the LoC when a brigadier from the Indian Army’s directorate general of military operations spoke to his Pakistani counterpart over the hotline. The pattern of violations has, however, only intensified.

Since the April 22 attack, India has unveiled several punitive measures, banning the import of goods originating in Pakistan, prohibiting Pakistan-flagged vessels from docking at Indian ports, shutting its airspace to aircraft registered in or operated by that country, suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties, expelling most Pakistani citizens in India, and shutting down the only operational land border crossing at Attari.

Pakistan has also unveiled tit-for-tat reactions to punitive measures announced by India, but neither side has thus far indicated its intent to abandon the ceasefire. It has closed its airspace to Indian airlines, suspended all trade with India, and has threatened to suspend bilateral pacts such as the Simla Agreement.