Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to continue with his annual tradition to celebrate the festival of Diwali with soldiers of the Indian Army. The Prime Minister is likely to visit Nowshera sector, along the Line of Control (LoC), in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday.

PM Modi had last visited Rajouri in 2019 when he celebrated Diwali with the soldiers. Since assuming office in 2014, PM Modi has been celebrating the festival of lights with soldiers.

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During the visit, PM Modi is likely to interact with the soldiers deployed on the ground. His visit to the union territory comes in the backdrop of a spike in violence against the civilians and security forces’ encounter with terrorists which claimed the lives of the soldiers.

The recent terrorist attacks in the Union territory have mostly targeted non-Kashmiri people living in the valley. According to reports, five migrant workers were among 11 civilians killed in the region last month.

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In Poonch’s Chamrer and Nar Khas areas, at least nine soldiers, including two junior commissioned officers, were killed in an encounter on October 11 and 14, respectively. Separately, an officer and a soldier were killed in a mine blast on October 30 in Rajouri.

Meanwhile, Army Chief General MM Naravane arrived on a two-day visit to Jammu to review the security situation and operational preparedness.

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General Naravane also carried out aerial reconnaissance of forward areas in the Jammu region. He was also briefed by commanders on the ground on the prevailing security situation along the LoC.

On October 18 and 19, the Army Chief had conducted a two-day tour of the Jammu region and reviewed the ground situation and the ongoing counter-infiltration operations. During this visit, Naravane had also visited the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where a massive operation to track down terrorists hiding in the forest areas of Mendhar, Surankote and Thanamandi is underway.