3 min readSrinagarFeb 19, 2026 03:31 PM IST
As the contours of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir have changed – a shift from the mainland valley to the mountainous, dense forests bordering its two regions – the security grid has initiated a weekly review meeting involving top security officials from both regions.
The meetings, chaired by the Northern Army commander, are attended by top officials of the Army, J&K Police, paramilitary forces, and intelligence agencies from both the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
While meetings of the Unified Headquarters chaired by Lt Governor Manoj are held periodically, the weekly meetings by the ‘Joint Control Centre’ have been initiated to get instant operational and intelligence feedback and for better coordination between the security apparatus deployed in the two regions. The meetings will be conducted in virtual mode.
“Better coordination between security agencies, on both sides of the Pir Panjal mountains, had become inevitable since the militants shifted their bases to the mountainous forests that connect the two regions,” a senior police officer said. “Border regions, where jurisdictions overlap, provide a sanctuary to the militants to operate.”
One such meeting was conducted and chaired by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma last Thursday. “In addition to the senior military leadership, the meeting was attended by senior officials of the J&K Police, CRPF and other stakeholders in Srinagar and Jammu divisions,” the Army said. “Discussions focused on intelligence sharing, boosting joint readiness, refining inter-agency synergy and further strengthening the counter-terrorism framework.”
Since 2021, militancy has moved into the dense forests connecting south Kashmir with the Chenab region of Jammu on one side and the Pir Panjal region on the other. The Chenab region provides the insurgents with a mountainous forest route to the international border in the Kathua and Samba regions of Jammu. The Pir Panjal region is connected to the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region.
In this backdrop, the weekly review meetings aimed at tackling the rise of jungle warfare assume significance. “The security agencies have been having regular review meetings at the regional and district levels. But these meetings are important since they take place at the UT level,” said another top security official. “Terrorism has seen a dynamic change over the last few years. The synergy between the security agencies working in the two regions was essential to tackle it effectively.”
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Officials said that during the review meetings, the focus is on operational feedback, synergy between different security agencies, and coordination between the security grids of the two regions.