Shayan Nabi
SRINAGAR: The annual Amarnath Pilgrimage is not facing any increased threat from Kashmiri separatist guerrillas and “yatra attack feared” headlines in Indian media are a gross exaggeration, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said.
The pilgrimage, one of Hinduism’s holiest, is due to begin officially this year on June 28 in the Kashmir Himalayas.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday said there is a terror threat to the nearly two-month long pilgrimage and that additional security forces are being deployed to provide safety.
Shinde also said intelligence inputs suggest militants have intentions to disrupt the Yatra.
A reported by Freepress yesterday itself (Click Here), the state’s chief minister has denied a grave threat of militant attacks on the pilgrimage.
“So while we will take all the regular precautions with a multi layer security grid ‘yatra attack feared’ headlines are a gross exaggeration,” he wrote on Twitter.
“In fact I asked a pointed question about whether the threats this year were higher than previous years & the answer was a categorical no.”
Omar Abdullah chaired a meeting of the Unified Headquarters (UHQ) where he was briefed on the prevailing security and law and order situation.
He said that the issue – of an increased threat perception during the yatra – was “not even discussed”.
“Talk about confusion within intelligence agencies NO WHERE in the UHQ (Unified Headquarters) meeting yesterday was a mention made of an increased threat #yatra,” Omar wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter.
The Amarnath pilgrimage, which draws Hindu devotees from across the country, has over the years remained by and large peaceful.
‘Welcome’
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims trek through treacherous mountains in Kashmir Valley, along icy streams, glacier-fed lakes and frozen passes, to reach the Amarnath cave, located at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,700 feet).
The ice stalagmite is believed to be a symbol of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration.
The army says they have put adequate security arrangements in place to ensure an ‘incident-free’ yatra. They have named the operation as ‘Operation Shiva’.
Criticising the army for launch of operation ‘Shiva’ for the holy Amarnath pilgrimage, senior separatist leader Ali Shah Geelani has said Kashmiris have always received the pilgrims with open arms.
Geelani said, “The launch of the operation was nothing but to defame the people of Kashmir, who always received the pilgrims and extended all help to them.”
