Valley security reviewed amid grenade blast in Budgam

The overall security situation in Kashmir Valley was reviewed at the core group meeting held on Saturday at the headquarters of army's 15 corps in the high security Badami Bagh cantonment area.

The core group deliberated on numerous security issues and took an overall view of the prevailing external and internal environment, a defence spokesman said.

The meeting attended by senior civil, army, paramilitary Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, intelligence and police officers was co-chaired by the Corps Commander Lt Gen S A Hasnain and the state Director General of Police Kuldeep Khuda.

A defence spokesman in a statement said, "Lieutenant General S A Hasnain complimented the gathering on the high level of synergy that exists between all stake holders in addressing the security concerns of the Valley."

The statement said, "Kuldeep Khoda, DGP Jammu and Kashmir while addressing the gathering echoed similar sentiments and further elaborated on key security issues."

"The meeting deliberated on the initiatives being undertaken and carried out a holistic introspection of the way ahead," the statement added.

Saturday's meeting came ahead of the tourist season that has already picked up in the Valley and the annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, a father-son duo was wounded in a powerful hand grenade explosion in central Kashmir's Budgam district late on Saturday evening.

Police said militants hurled a grenade which exploded near a shop wounding the shopkeeper, Ghulam Ahmad Wani and his son. They were immediately evacuated to hospital for treatment.