NEW DELHI: Hours before departing to Italy for attending the G-7 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a meeting with officials and reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following recent terror attacks.

The PM has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officials to ensure total safety of people and a terror-free environment. As a part of the meeting, the PM also spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said the PM told the officials to deploy the “full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities” to check even minor terrorist activity.

The PM told officials that no chance should be left from being utilised to completely annihilate the terror tentacles across Jammu and Kashmir. The PM’s directives come at a time when J&K is getting ready to handle the security of Amarnath Yatra scheduled to begin this month. The yatra till continue until August 19.

“The discussion that the PM had also included security aspects linked to the upcoming assembly elections, tentatively due in September after the Supreme Court mandated it recently,” said a source.

Officials attending the review meeting with the PM gave him briefs on the entire security situation and details of adopted security paradigms stating as how the security forces have intensified counter-terror operations in the wake of some incidents.

Prominent officials who attended the meeting with the PM included NSA Ajit Doval. The PM’s conversation with Shah covered the deployment of forces in the UT.

Sources said today’s deliberations would be followed by another key meeting to be held by Shah. Overall, Modi’s call for the deployment of comprehensive counter-terror capabilities signals the government’s resolve to ensure zero-terror in the UT. The PM was also briefed on the recent terrorist incidents that took place in parts of J&K resulting in loss of lives.

In the recent past, terror incidents were reported from four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts, killing nine pilgrims and a CRPF Jawan. In many rounds of swift operations against terrorists, security forces have neutralised two Pakistan-backed terrorists in Kathua and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from their possession.

The most disturbing terror incident occurred on Sunday when terrorists opened fire on a 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims to the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra from the Shiv Khori temple. Nine persons died in that incident.

(With Agency Inputs)