Rajnath Singh briefed by top military brass on border security, arrangements for Amarnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by top Army brass on Saturday (June 21, 2025) on the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with a focus on border areas, anti-terrorist operations and the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to start next month, officials said.

Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma and other senior officers including commanding officers of all units attended the meeting at Udhampur-based northern command headquarters, they said.

Singh reached Udhampur headquarters of the northern command on a two-day visit on Friday and led the International Day of Yoga celebrations of the Armed Forces on Saturday morning, performing various asanas and breathing exercises with 2,500 soldiers.

After the yoga session, the top Army brass briefed the defence minister on the prevailing security situation in the Union territory, the officials said.

The briefing focused on security in the border areas as well as the hinterland, especially anti-terrorist operations in forested areas. It also covered security arrangements made for the annual 38-day Amarnath Yatra scheduled to begin in the South Kashmir Himalayas on July 3.

The Army is part of the multi-tier security arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the yatra, especially for combing the forests surrounding the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district besides the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.