Giving in to pressure mounted by the separatist leaders with their statements and a shutdown, Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir has withdrawn permission to the All Pandit Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) to start a fresh pilgrimage to the Pir Panjal glacial lake Kousar Nag from south Kashmir.
On July 21, Deputy Commissioner of Kulgam, Nisar Ahmed Wani had issued permission for the pilgrimage on an application submitted by the APMCC chairman Vinod Pandit on June 1, 2014, asking the government to provide security and other necessary arrangements to a group of Kashmiri Pandits intending to carry out the pilgrimage from Kulgam from July 31 to August 3.
With a separatists-sponsored shutdown in Kulgam district on Wednesday, authorities conveyed to the APMCC that the yatra would be permitted only through Chasana in Jammu’s Reasi district. Locals in Kulgam resorted to stone pelting and blocked roads with burning tyres to protest against the yatra.
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Mr Wani said no religious odyssey would be allowed from the Pir Panjal foothills in South Kashmir. “Yatra will operate only through its traditional route in Reasi district. From our side, Kousar Nag will be as usual open to common tourists. It is a duly notified tourist spot under jurisdiction of Aharbal Development Authority,” he said.