J&K Governor whips state politicians, asks them to maintain calm and not link chords of ‘exaggerated rumours’

Srinagar, August 3: With additional troops moving towards Jammu and Kashmir, state government advisory asking Amarnath yatra pilgrims to leave immediately; the Indian Army assured that the situation is under control and there is nothing to panic. Asserting the same, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said on Monday night that "unnecessary panic" was being created by linking the curtailment of Amarnath Yatra with other issues, and requested political leaders to ask their supporters to maintain calm and do not believe in "exaggerated rumours".

Pertaining to create a safe and sound environment, class work for all courses at NIT Srinagar was suspended till further orders, with arrangements to transport all students being made. With the overnight order, a panicking situation was seen in Kashmir. Clarifying the same, District Magistrate Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary said no advice or instruction was given and that the NIT order was a miscommunication. NIT has withdrawn the order and clarified that the order was for pre-planned holidays from August 5-15 and should not be conflated with the prevailing situation.

 

As the Centre deployed additional troops to Jammu and Kashmir, the politicians in a meeting with the governor questioned about the sudden development in the state and the advisory issued to the pilgrims. Governor Malik informed the delegation that there were serious and credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on the Amarnath Yatra. It is in this context that the government had issued an advisory asking Yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible.

Addressing the current situation, the airlines have waived charges to assist in movement to and from Kashmir. Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, Vistata and SpiceJet have waived relevant cancelling and rescheduling charges to and from Srinagar in light of the recent developments.

The governor clarified saying the politicians in Jammu and Kashmir to create a calm environment. He said that unnecessary panic is being created by linking this to 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. This has been clarified in the evening by the Home Secretary and the Divisional Commissioner.