ISLAMABAD: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has strongly criticized the Hindu Amarnath Yatra in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as a communal and militarized pilgrimage under the Modi-led Indian government.
According to reporter, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement from Srinagar highlighted the stark contrast between the freedom granted to Hindu gatherings and the severe restrictions imposed on Kashmiri Muslim events in IIOJK.
Since the rise of Hindutva politics in India, Minhas noted a significant increase in both the number of participants and the duration of the Amarnath Yatra, which now spans an extended period. This prolonged duration, coupled with intensified restrictions, constant checks, and environmental concerns, has exacerbated hardships for the people of Kashmir, he said.
Minhas emphasized that the deployment of over one hundred thousand additional troops and paramilitary forces during the Yatra, along with surveillance measures such as drone mon
itoring, has further increased the challenges faced by ordinary Kashmirs.