NEW DELHI: Amid a growing demand for shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees to safer places after a series of targeted killings, the Jammu and Kashmir administration Friday made it clear the employees would not be moved out of the Valley but transferred to safer locations.
Official also said the recent escalation in targeted terrorist violence would not lead to any change in plans for holding the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled from June 30-August 11.
The assertion comes in the wake of a spate of incidents which included targeted killings of civilians.
Officials Friday said that the Jammu and Kashmir administration cannot be a party to any “ethnic-cleansing” scripted from across the border by agreeing to the demand of Kashmiri Pandit employees to be shifted out of the Valley.
They also asserted the killing of soft targets by militant groups won’t deter them from holding the annual Amarnath Yatra.
Over two lakh pilgrims have already registered themselves for the annual pilgrimage, they said.
The JK administration is not going to be bogged down by this, they said, exuding confidence that the security forces would put an end to these targeted killings like they did in October 2021 when militants carried out a spate of targeted attacks including on prominent chemist M L Bindroo and a Sikh teacher.
The officials said the Amarnath Yatra was a symbol of Kashmir’s composite culture and will go on despite some threat perception which will be handled.
The officials, while talking about prospects of holding elections in the union territory, said this was a decision that would be taken by the Election Commission only. (Agencies)
