Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday lauded the steps taken by the Jammu and Kashmir administration and security agencies after the Pahalgam terror attack, saying these had helped strengthen the overall security scenario in the Union Territory.

Mr. Shah chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in J&K. The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officials.

On April 22, 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam in an attack by three Pakistani terrorists, who were subsequently killed in an operation on July 28.

The Home Minister underlined the importance of security agencies working in a coordinated and vigilant manner to eliminate terrorism from the region. With the onset of winter, he cautioned that security forces must remain fully prepared to prevent infiltration attempts across the border.

Mr. Shah reiterated that the government is committed to achieving the goal of a terrorism-free J&K. He noted that, due to the determined efforts of security agencies, “the terrorist network is almost crippled.” He assured that all necessary resources would continue to be provided to sustain counter-terrorism efforts and added that “security forces will continue to have full freedom of action to crush any attempt to threaten peace and security in the region.”