Tourists and pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra have been asked by the Jammu and Kashmir government to "immediately" cut short their stay in the Kashmir Valley and return. Pilgrims and tourists have never before been urged to leave Kashmir, which has seen a massive build-up of troops in the past week.
The order follows confirmed intelligence reports from the Indian Army that terrorists backed by Pakistan as well as its army were trying to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra.
The army said they had found a landmine with Pakistan ordnance factory markings and an M-24 American sniper rifle with telescopic sight.
A senior army official said the Amarnath Yatra route was being "sanitised for three days". "In the last three-four days, there were confirmed intelligence reports that terrorists backed by Pakistan and its army is trying to disrupt Amarnath Yatra and based on that a thorough search was conducted. We had major successes in these searches," said Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon.
The Army and police held a joint press conference against the backdrop of reports of an increased presence of troops in Jammu and Kashmir.
The announcement asking pilgrims and tourists to leave Jammu and Kashmir has led to people queuing up to buy essentials, with long lines reported at fuel stations, medical shops and ATMs.
Jammu and Kashmir's former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah both hit out over the handling of the security threat.
While National Conference leader Omar Abdullah claimed people staying in hotels in Gulmarg were being forced to leave hours after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued the advisory, Mehbooba Mufti said there was "complete chaos in the streets" of capital Srinagar.
Here are the Updates over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir:
Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists have been asked by the Jammu and Kashmir government to "immediately" cut short their stay in the Kashmir Valley and go back, in an unprecedented advisory amid intelligence inputs of terror threats.
With turmoil over the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, aviation regulator DGCA advised airlines on Friday to remain ready to operate additional flights from the Srinagar airport if the need arises, news agency PTI reported quoting a source.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday claimed that the people staying in hotels in Gulmarg were being forced to leave, hours after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued an advisory to Amarnath pilgrims and tourists to "immediately" cut short their stay.
There are confirmed intelligence reports that terrorists backed by the Pakistan Army are trying to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra, the army said today, revealing that a landmine and a sniper rifle were found on the route of the pilgrimage.
Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists have been asked by the Jammu and Kashmir government to "immediately" cut short their stay in the Kashmir Valley and go back, in an unprecedented advisory amid intelligence inputs of terror threats.
