Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Jammu today and is expected to announce a mega financial package for Jammu and Kashmir. The PM's visit comes as India has warned Pakistan of an "effective" response to its repeated ceasefire violations.
Here are the latest developments:
There is high security in Jammu, where the Prime Minister attended centenary celebrations for a state leader. He is accompanied by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Government sources said PM Modi is likely to announce a mega development package of around Rs. 70,000 crore for the state on his one-day visit. He is also likely to announce an All India Institute for Medical Sciences or AIIMS for the Jammu region.
The venue for today's function, General Zorawar Singh Auditorium of the Jammu University, was sanitised, secured and sealed. No vehicle was allowed inside the Jammu University campus and every one entering the university premises was checked thoroughly.
A team of the Special Protection Group (SPG) of the Prime Minister's security reached Jammu in advance to oversee security measures. The police said multiple Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been deployed all along the Prime Minister's route.
After multiple infiltration bids and continuous cross-border firing just two days before the PM's visit, India on Thursday warned that while it is committed to peace on the border, it would respond to unprovoked firing by Pakistan and would not let its guard down.
"We remain committed to steps that ensure peace and tranquility. But any unprovoked firing from Pakistan would be met with an equal and effective response," Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said, after three top ministers met.
India's stern response came after New Delhi and Islamabad lodged protests against each other over border firing and Pakistan's claim that it had shot down an Indian "spy drone", which has been rubbished by New Delhi.
A woman was killed and nine people, including two soldiers, were injured in heavy firing from across the border in Akhnoor and RS Pura since Wednesday. On Thursday, the Army foiled an infiltration attempt in Poonch and another in RS Pura sector.
Two days ago, the Army also busted a militant hideout in a forest in Kupwara District of the state and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition including 2 AK-47 rifles and 12 hand grenades.
Last week, PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif had held talks on the sidelines of a conference in Ufa, Russia. As part of breakthrough announcements after the talks, the two countries decided to arrange meetings of senior military officials to reduce tension along the border.
