In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference (NC) has raised concern over curbs on movement of people on Yatra routes in the name of so-called security arrangements in wake of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the NC’s additional General Secretary, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal in a statement issued in Srinagar urged the authorities to go back to the drawing board again and address the concerns of shopkeepers and others who are involved in business activities along the yatra route.
“The need for foolproof security arrangements is well understood but certainly not at the cost of people’s lives. Never before have multi layered security arrangements been so irksome for the local people, who have although welcomed them with open arms. Today, however, people living alongside the routes of Yatra have been pushed to the margins. Shutting down of shops, halting vehicular traffic, including those carrying truckloads of edibles, and other necessary merchandise have caused massive inconvenience and losses to people,” he said.—INP