Amid a tight security blanket, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday arrived in Srinagar on a four-day visit to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, as the country prepares to observe the 22nd anniversary of the 1999 Kargil war.
J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha received President Kovind at the Srinagar airport around 11.15 a.m. The President was accorded a guard of honour.
Officials said President Kovind interacted with the Army’s top brass in Srinagar. In the evening, he attended a function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre located on the banks of the Dal lake.
A thick security blanket has been put in place in Srinagar. Several stretches on the access to the venue have been closed to civilian traffic for the next three days.
This has evoked sharp reactions from locals as well as tourists. Scores of tourists were stranded at the famous boulevard near Dal lake due to barricades erected at multiple points.
The President will leave for Ladakh on July 26, and will pay homage at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass. He will return to Srinagar to address the 19th convocation of the University of Kashmir on July 27.
Ahead of the President’s Kargil visit, Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations were kicked off on Sunday.
An official said senior Army officers met war veterans and “ veer naari ”s (brave women) at the Lahmochan View Point, and remembered the martyrs who laid down their lives in the fierce battle India fought against Pakistan in 1999.
During the war, India captured peaks, including Tiger Hill, Tololing Top, Three Pimples and Trishul HT, and Drass town.
General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps, Lt. Gen. M.V. Suchindra Kumar participated in the interaction with retired Army personnel, war veterans and “ veer naari ”s, officials said.
