Cong demands PM to clarify J&K situation in Parliament
A day after the Amarnath Yatra was called off, the Jammu & Kashmir administration on Saturday suspended the ongoing 43-day-long Machail Mata (Goddess Durga) Yatra that was to continue till September 5 in Kishtwar citing security reasons. And while security forces killed four terrorists in the Valley, Governor Satya Pal Malik informed a delegation led by former State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the “State has no knowledge of any changes to constitutional provisions” with troops’ movement being in view of heightened terror threat to the Amarnath Yatra.
Omar, however, urged the Centre to clarify things in Parliament.
In Delhi, the Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement in Parliament on the current situation in Jammu & Kashmir and cautioned it against “any misadventure” in the State. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Amarnath Yatra has never been curtailed, even when the pilgrimage was targeted by terrorists.
He said the Government should clarify why additional paramilitary forces were sent to the State though it has been a lean year in terms of terrorist activities, barring the Pulwama attack. His party colleague P Chidambaram said it was clear the Centre is preparing for some misadventure and warned it against doing so.
Disappointed tourists and Amarnath yatris returning from Srinagar, in the meanwhile, are facing soaring airfares. Flight tickets from Srinagar to Delhi are costing `10,000 to `20,000 against the normal `3,000. Against this backdrop, on the request of the State administration the IAF is expected to airlift leftover pilgrims to different destinations if required.
According to the Airports Authority of India, a total number of 6,126 passengers reported at Srinagar Airport on Saturday for travelling out of the Valley. Out of this, 5,829 passengers travelled by 32 scheduled flights. Remaining 387 passengers accommodated in 4 IAF Aircraft & flown to destinations like Jammu, Pathankot & Hindon.
Outstation students of National Institute of Technology, Srinagar were also shifted from the campus in State Road Transport Corporation buses after the college authorities suspended their classes till further orders.
Tourists stationed across various destinations in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and other places were ferried in State Government-provided buses to Srinagar from where they returned to their homes safely during the day.
For their part, security forces achieved major successes by eliminating four terrorists in two separate operations in Shopian and Sopore districts of Kashmir Valley.
According to police spokesman, “One of the top commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad, identified as Zeenat-ul-Islam Naikoo was eliminated in the two-day-long operation in Pandushan village of Shopian”.
According to police, Naikoo played the role of a local anchor to the JeM foreign terrorists. He was involved in terror incidents of cop killing and grenade lobbing on police station in Shopian and Gagren camp. The second terrorist killed in the operation was identified as Manzoor Ahmad Bhat. In Sopore encounter, two JeM terrorists were eliminated by the security forces.
According to a statement issued by the Raj Bhawan, “Omar Abdullah and the delegation members apprised the Governor about the current situation in the Valley after the Government advisory asking Amarnath Yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible. They also mentioned about the panic buying by people of essential commodities”.
Governor Malik informed the delegation that the security situation has developed in a manner which required immediate action. He also said that the State has no knowledge of any changes to constitutional provisions. “Therefore, no panic should be created by unnecessarily linking this security matter with all kinds of other issues. A pure security measure is being mixed up with issues with which it has no connection. That is the cause of the panic. The Home Secretary and the Divisional Commissioner have clarified this yesterday.”
The Governor requested the political leaders to ask their supporters to maintain calm and not believe exaggerated and unfounded rumours being circulated all around.
“There were credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding attacks on the Amarnath Yatra. There has been intensified shelling on the LoC by Pakistan which was responded to effectively by the Army. This was mentioned in the Press Conference yesterday afternoon by the Corps Commander of the Army and the DGP. Details of weapons and ammunition recovered were given. The seriousness of the threat required immediate action,” he said, as per the spokesman.
It is in this context that the Government had issued an advisory asking yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible. “These are a vulnerable group of people who do not know the area and are extremely vulnerable to a terrorist or a fidayeen attack.”
“It is the responsibility of the State to provide security to all its citizens. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, yatris and tourists have been asked to return. This is to ensure that no terrorist attack takes place on them. Therefore, security to its citizens has to be provided by the State, even at some inconvenience which is being done.”