Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 23: All Parties Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) has demanded security for the pilgrims going to holy shrine of Kounsarnaag during the forthcoming Pitra Paksh to pray for the peace of departed souls.
In a statement issued here today, APMCC National Spokesperson, King Bharti said a communiqué in this regard has been sent to Deputy Commissioner Kulgam by the organization with its copies to Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, Union Home Minister, PMO and other officials and they have been urged to provide security to 20 Kashmiri Pandits willing to visit the holy Kounsarnaag shrine situated at an altitude of 12000 feet in Pir Panchal during the forthcoming Pitar Paksh.
He said with the recent statement of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah that his Government was not averse to Kounsarnaag pilgrimage of Kashmiri Pandits, the APMCC has decided to take a pilgrimage of 20 KPs to the holy shrine to perform the religious rites there during the forthcoming Pitra Paksh.
He expressed the hope that Chief Minister who has shown a lot of magnanimity will issue instructions to DC Kulgam to arrange for the security of KP pilgrims intending to visit the holy shrine of Puranic period known as Vaishno Paadh as per Hindu mythology.
He said last time APMCC chairman, Vinod Pandit had applied for security of KP pilgrims intending to visit holy shrine which was earlier given by the administration but later denied on eleventh hour which led to a lot of confusion.
He said APMCC had not applied for permission to holy shrine earlier as no permission for the pilgrimage of holy places is sought by any devotee visiting there as the same is his fundamental right.
Pandit said that controversy created by district administration last time over Kounsarnaag yatra has sent wrong signals all around and he expressed the hope that this time the authorities would not create unnecessary hurdles in the way of pilgrimage as the same would weaken the bonds of age old secularism in Kashmir Valley and strengthen the disruptive forces only.
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