The Amarnath Yatra seems to have been cancelled amid the growing tension in Jammu and Kashmir. Post the fresh troop deployment, the administration in Jammu and Kashmir asked Amarnath Yatris to “curtail” their stay in Kashmir Valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible.
“Keeping in view the latest intelligence inputs of terror threats, with specific targeting of the Amarnath Yatra, and given the prevailing security situation in the Kashmir Valley, in the interest of safety and security of the tourists and Amarnath Yatris, it is advised that they may curtail their stay in the valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible,” reads an advisory issued by the state’s home department.
The advisory was shared by the army and the Jammu and Kashmir police, in a joint press conference, and asserted that there were “confirmed intelligence reports” that terrorists backed by the Pakistan army were attempting to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra. Mines and ammunition recovered along the route had confirmed the “direct involvement of the Pakistan Army”, they said.
“In the last three-four days, there were confirmed intelligence reports that terrorists backed by Pakistan and its army is trying to disrupt Amarnath Yatra and based on that a thorough search was conducted. We had major successes in these searches,” said Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “Although this unprecedented order would seem to suggest a genuine fear of a massive terror strike directed at Amarnath ji yatris or/and tourists this will do nothing to dampen the sense of fear and foreboding that prevails in the valley at the moment.”
Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, panic has not only gripped the Kashmir valley after India deployed additional 25,000 soldiers in the Kashmir valley in addition to the 10,000 security forces.
Earlier, Delhi dispatched about 10,000 soldiers to the valley which the officials termed as a move to strengthen the counter-insurgency operation in Kashmir and maintaining overall security.
Rumours are spreading in the Kashmir Valley that India could be heading towards a complete abrogation of Article 35-A. Some have even speculated that the matter could be a part of PM Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address at the Red Fort.
Former CM – Omar Abdullah who met PM Modi recently had earlier asked the Centre to wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court (SC) where a bunch of petitions challenging Article 35A and Article 370 are pending. “Why should you hurry? We will respect the decision of the Supreme Court as we have always done,” Omar Abdullah said.
Omar Abdullah further stated that the bureaucrats were spreading rumours asking people to store rations, medicines, fuel for automobiles, etc because a long haul of uncertainty was in the offering.
