J&K Government Asks Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims to Leave Amid Terror Threats
In a rare move the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration on Friday 2nd of August, issued a security advisory for the Amarnath yatra pilgrims, citing terror threat in the Kashmir Valley.
The Principal Secretary (Home) of J&K issued a security advisory, saying pilgrims and tourists “may curtail their stay” and “return as soon as possible”.
“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,” the advisory said.
Reacting to the security advisory, former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “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 & foreboding that prevails in the valley at the moment.”
Speaking to India Today TV, sources have said that the Amarnath yatra is “over” in view of the security threat to the pilgrims and the tourists. “The Amarnath yatra was supposed to continue till August 15 but in view of the security threat, it has been curtailed.”
It is worth noting that 280 companies of additional paramilitary forces have been deployed in the valley very recently. The central government is yet to react to these developments in the valley.
The security threat has been issued just hours after the Indian Army recovered a Pakistan Ordnance factory anti-personnel mine from a terror cache. The Army has also confirmed that terrorists from Pakistan “are plotting to carry out an attack on the ongoing Amarnath yatra”. The Army on Friday revealed that they have recovered multiple weapons belonging to the Pakistani Army from the Amarnath route.
“A Pakistan Army landmine has also been recovered from one of the caches of terrorists. This clearly indicates that Pakistan Army is involved in terrorism in Kashmir, this will not be tolerated,” Lt General KJS Dhillon, Commander of the Chinar Corps, said in a press conference in Srinagar.
