JAMMU: Kashmir is going to wittiness a rare event on August 21,Id -ul-Milad (Prophet’s birthday) and Raksha Bandhan the day of darshan’ of their ‘lingam’ in the holy Amarnath cave-fall on the same day. Tension hay started “mounting in the valley following militants’ threat to disrupt the Amarnath yatra and the government’s decision to continue the siege of the Hazratbal shrine.
It is in the historic shrine that people have ‘deedar’ (view) of the holy religion four or five occasions in a year. Interestingly, during the Id-ul-Milad celebrations the Prophet’s holy relic is displayed for ‘deedar’ for three days, and on the Friday following Id-ul-Milad people congregate in the shrine to have another ‘deedar’ of the holy relic.
As such millions of Kashmiri Muslims are keen to gather “siege” lifted so that they could have ‘deedar’ of the relic on the Prophets birthday since October last, when the Hazratbal crisis was resolved without any violence, the people have not visited the shrine in protest against the setting up of bunkers and pickets around the shrine. These bunkers hardly prevent to lift the siege. This very has split the state admonition and reports say that the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, M.B.R Singh, has proceeded “on a two month leave after he failed to persuade the Governor to Aft the siege. The Governor is not in favor of the lifting of the siege “in the plea that separatists would .Use the shrine for anti -India tirade. And these very separatists, who have not been able to muster support from bigger groups of people for their activities, may get a readymade audience in the shape of thousands of Muslims visiting the Shrine for prayers. Reports said that the government already aware of the hard times ahead because besides the Amamath-Hazratbal issues militants” plan to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence day on August 14 and observing India’s Independence Day as a black day and other functions may kick up Violence in Kashmir, an diff. the Hazratbal issue remains unresolved by August FA separatists may receive support from the people in staging anti-India demonstrations on August 14-15.
‘And if violence breaks out it may be more difficult for the government to Organize a peaceful and incident free Amamath yatra, tis in this connection that several Hindu and Sadhu organizations have called for review of the government stand on the Hazratbal issue, These organizations except the VHP, want the government to remove the security pickets around the shrine and leave it to the Hazratbal shrine trust and other Public organizations to manage the affairs of the shrine.
Means while the state government is contemplating fighting the throats of militants by importing government employees and the police from Jammu. Already several sections of government employees in Jammu have been sounded and they have been promised that those who will go to Paha gam and assist the ‘yatris’ will be given one increment in advance.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 12, 1994
