‘Yatris counted in number of tourists’
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 29: Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that the situation in Kashmir has deteriorated forcing Kashmiri Pandit employees to flee the Valley and Government is projecting normalcy by faking the tourist arrival.
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Omar said told reporters in Srinagar that deteriorating situation has made Kashmiri Pandit employees to flee the Valley. “They have fled after locking their houses. They are not alone. Several other Government employees were appointed under the PM’s package, and there was an attempt to bring them back, but the situation deteriorated to an extent that they were also left with no option but to leave Kashmir for Jammu,” he said.
He said that this is unfortunate and what is more worrying is that the present Government does not want to do anything about it. “They are high with just the arrival of tourists; as if the arrival of tourists is everything. They are telling lie after lie about the arrival of tourists and we know that they are also counting the yatris in the number of tourists who visited Kashmir,” he said.
Omar said that the number of tourists who come to Kashmir is the same as it used to be earlier and the count must be around 15-18 lakh and nothing more than that.
“By going after tourism and projecting it differently, they think that the situation is normal in Kashmir. If the situation is normal, as is being said, then why did they leave Kashmir?” he asked.
“It does not stop there. They are even lying to the media and I can say with full authority that some of the officers call the media and tell them that these people left due to a dip in temperature with the arrival of the winter season. Are we witnessing the winters for the first time in 30 years? Even the Chillae Kallan hasn’t begun yet,” he added.
Omar said that the Government has to accept that there is a problem; there is an issue that needs to be resolved. “The youngsters are to be brought into the mainstream and if they step ahead there, we’d be ready to help,” he said.
“We are people who always worked for making the atmosphere conducive in J&K; we will continue to work in that direction further, but the bigger role is of the Government. They have to accept that the situation is not normal in J&K,” he added.
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