Government Advisory Asking Tourists To Stay Out Of Kashmir To Be Lifted: J-K Governor

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday directed officials to lift the advisory that asked tourists to stay away from the Valley. This will be done with effect from October 10. Once lifted, tourists will be free to visit the Valley.

“Governor Satya Pal Malik has directed that the Home Department’s advisory asking tourists to leave the valley be lifted immediately. This will be done with effect from 10.10.2019,” reported ANI.

Government of Jammu and Kashmir: Governor Satya Pal Malik has directed that the Home Department’s advisory asking tourists to leave the valley be lifted immediately. This will be done with effect from 10.10.2019. pic.twitter.com/eyyI9o6TdS

— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2019

The development comes two months after tourists were asked to leave the valley. The state administration on August 2 had issued a security advisory asking Amarnath pilgrims and tourists to leave Kashmir as soon as possible, citing terror threat in the Valley. Days after that, the Modi government had scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gave special powers to Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, normal life is limping back to normalcy in Kashmir as private transport is now plying unhindered in Srinagar and other districts across the Valley. The officials said auto-rickshaws and some inter-district cabs were seen plying in the city, but the other modes of public transport were off the roads.

A few vendors had set up stalls on the TRC Chowk-Lal Chowk road here, they added.

The officials said there were no restrictions anywhere in the valley, but security forces were deployed in strength in vulnerable areas to maintain law and order.

While landline telephone services were restored across the valley gradually, mobile services remained suspended in Kashmir except in Handwara and Kupwara areas in the north since the night of 4 August, the officials said. But internet services - across all platforms also continued to be snapped in the valley, they said.

On August 5, the Centre had revoked the special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

Most of the top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders, including two former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

Another former chief minister and Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah has been arrested under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was the chief minister.  

With PTI Inputs