Casualties Count Higher, Can’t go to Count, let Details get Compiled Completely, Say Official Sources
Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed in Srinagar on Tuesday evening and proceeded directly to Raj Bhawan, amid a major security clampdown across Jammu and Kashmir following deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Anantnag district.
Sources told news agency JKNS that, Shah is scheduled to visit the site of the terror attack in Baisaran near Pahalgam on Wednesday. He will be accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Shah is also expected to interact with eyewitnesses and visit the hospitals where the injured are being treated.
Top security sources told JKNS that the number of casualties in the attack could be significantly higher than officially stated so far. “The death toll is feared to be more than initially reported. A final figure is being compiled as rescue and identification efforts continue,” a senior security official said, requesting anonymity.
In response to the attack, security across the Kashmir Valley has been drastically increased. Additional checkpoints have been set up on highways and in sensitive areas, and quick reaction teams (QRTs) have been deployed near key installations and tourist hotspots.
The Home Minister had earlier chaired a virtual meeting with national security officials in Delhi before flying to Srinagar.
The high-profile visit comes as public anger and political condemnation continue to pour in over the attack that targeted tourists at the peak of the spring travel season, raising serious concerns about security and intelligence coordination.
A senior official told JKNS that the joint combing operations by Army, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police are ongoing in South Kashmir. (JKNS)
