Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Srinagar on Thursday to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir amid heightened tensions with Pakistan. This marks his first visit to the region following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor — a retaliatory military campaign targeting terrorist organisations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The visit also comes in the wake of a ceasefire understanding reached between India and Pakistan on May 10.

During his visit, Singh is expected to interact with soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces deployed in the region. Jammu and Kashmir was among the areas most severely affected during the intense four-day military confrontation between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Singh’s visit follows his participation in a high-level security review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, and the Foreign Secretary.

Just days earlier, on Sunday, the Defence Minister virtually inaugurated the BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility Centre in Lucknow, highlighting it as a significant step towards India’s defence self-reliance. The facility, part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), has already generated approximately 500 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs, Singh noted.

Speaking at the inauguration, Singh commended the Indian armed forces for their decisive response to Pakistan through Operation Sindoor.

“This is not the first time India has responded with strength to terrorist attacks,” Singh remarked. “Be it the Uri surgical strike, the Balakot air strike, or now Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam attack — India has consistently shown the world its resolve against terrorism.”

Reiterating India’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, Singh extended his gratitude to the armed forces for delivering a “befitting reply” to Pakistan.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, and served as a direct warning to terror groups operating from across the border and in PoK.