Days after abrogation of Art 370, Defence Minister to visit Ladakh on Aug 29

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Leh on August 29 in a first major visit by a top brass after the abrogation of Article 370.

This would be the first visit by the Defence Minister to the Union territory after the government got a resolution passed in this regard in Parliament earlier this month, Defence officials said.

During the visit, the Defence Minister is expected to hold parleys with both locals and military officials deployed in the area, they said.

The visit is also coming at a time when China had expressed its views that it is against the move to make Ladakh a Union Territory.

The Army and other security agencies are charged with guarding the borders with China in the Eastern Ladakh sector.

Rajnath Singh had visited Ladakh soon after taking over as the Defence Minister and also laid a wreath at the Siachen war memorial.

The Minister is expected to be briefed by the local military commanders about the security situation in both China as well as Pakistan border in Leh.

On August 5, the Central government had announced the move to abrogate Article 370 and also the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.