Modi chairs meeting on Kashmir; discusses Ramzan ceasefire, Amarnath Yatra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday night held a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to review the suspension of operations during the holy month of Ramzan that ended on Friday, officials said.

During the meeting, which was held ahead of a dinner hosted by the prime minister for RSS leaders, the home minister is understood to have briefed on the security situation in the Kashmir Valley, especially in view of the recent killings, including that of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar on Thursday.

The Centre is expected to monitor the situation for some more days before taking a decision on extending the ceasefire, they said.

The Ramzan ceasefire was announced on May 17.

During the brief meeting, the home minister is also understood to have briefed on security for the two-month Amarnath Yatra, which begins on June 28.

The fate of the Centre's one-month-old policy of suspension of operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir hangs in balance, with a few security agencies flagging its disadvantages, including regrouping of militants, and some in the Home Ministry being in favour of extending it with a rider that intelligence-based operations should be increased, officials had said.

The valley has witnessed the killings of over 55 militants and the deaths of 27 locals this year.

The situation in Kashmir is considered to be turbulent as nearly 80 incidents of violence occurred there in the last four months. Civilians were often seen thronging to encounter sites to stage protests with the intention of giving the militants an opportunity to escape.