Amaranth Yatra 2018 starts on a positive note

Malik Sameed
Srinagar, Jun 27 (KNB): Annual Amarnath Yatra the symbol of Kashmir heritage and ethos Wednesday begins on a positive note following the militant outfits termed the devotees as guests and welcomed them.
Amid chants of Bam-Bam Bhole, the first batch of pilgrims for the annual 60-day pilgrimage of #AmarnathYatra, left from #Jammu’s base camp on Wednesday under heavy security cover. The pilgrims will start their journey to the 3,000-metre high cave shrine by foot on Thursday.
The Yatra is not just a simple religious pilgrimage but a fusion of Hindu Muslim Brotherhood as Muslim community has been caretaker of this sacred pilgrimage since centuries.



In a heartwarming recent development, the top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo on Tuesday said that Amarnath Yatris were their guests and that the reports suggesting that militants were planning to attack them were baseless. A part from Hizbul Mujhadeen, militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba also said that they don’t attack unarmed Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, adding, it is the Indian intelligence forces themselves who attack the pilgrims so as to damage the repute of freedom fighters by blaming their wrongdoings on them.
The top resistance leader Zafar Akbar Bhat while welcoming the Amaranth Yatris termed them as revered guests and suspended his party’s activities in the Amaranth Yatra related areas.
The Governor’s office said at least two lakh pilgrims have registered to go on the Yatra this year.
Gulzar Ahmad, a pony rider while talking to Kashmir News Bureau stated: “Yatris are our esteemed guests and we adore them deeply. We hope the Yatris come in good numbers this year too as we are ready to welcome. We are also praying everything passes smoothly and this Yatra brings with it peace and prosperity to Kashmir and helps us regain the lost tranquility. The govt should also ensure on its part that Amaranth Yatris get full support and cooperation and do their yatris in an eased manner.”
Reports reached KNB that, “Around 40,000 security personnel from the police, paramilitary forces, National Disaster Response Force and the Army have been being deployed this year.
It is important to know that on 10 July 2017, 8 Hindu civilian pilgrims were killed in a terror attack. The pilgrims mostly belonged to the Indian state of Gujarat. Among the at least seven people killed, six were women, and at least 18 people were injured in the attack. However, with today’s heartwarming developments, the Amaranth Yatra has started on a positive note. (KNB)