Chaos at Srinagar airport in absence of special flights for yatris, tourists

Samaan Lateef
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 3

A massive rush of passengers, mostly Amarnath yatris and tourists, is being witnessed at the Srinagar airport after the government asked them to leave Kashmir immediately in view of security threats.

Panic-stricken yatris and tourists were seen jostling and breaking queues outside the airport to take the first flight home.

Standing outside in large groups, the passengers were eagerly awaiting a word from the airport authorities to lift them from Kashmir. The link road at the arrival point of the airport was dotted with bags of tourists.

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“There are no special flights. Both yatris and tourists will go in normal private flights scheduled for Saturday,” said a senior security officer at the airport.

He said they had put in adequate security arrangements for hassle-free evacuation of tourists and yatris.

In view of the prevailing situation in Kashmir, Air India has decided to give full fee waiver on rescheduling or cancellation of its flights to and from Srinagar till August 15. Some other private airlines are also offering such concessions.

“Those who have not watched the news here are comfortable. We were enjoying ourselves but the government order led to chaos and fear,” said another tourist.

The state government on Friday asked Amarnath yatris and tourists to immediately make necessary arrangements to cut short their stay in the Valley and return as soon as possible in the wake of intelligence inputs of “specific terror threats” to the pilgrimage.

The Principal Secretary (Home) issued a security advisory saying pilgrims and tourists “may curtail their stay” and “return as soon as possible”.

Locals say they have never seen such an order where Amarnath yatris or tourists were asked to leave Kashmir in view of a security threat. “Why is government so helpless as to ask tourists to leave Kashmir immediately when it claims successes against militancy and has strong security grid in place? If this isn’t an admission of failure of the BJP government, what is it?” asked Abdul Hameed, a local.

After the Home Ministry ordered the deployment of additional 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces last week, locals fear that Modi-led BJP government may go in for demographic changes in the state.

The BJP favours removal of Article 370, which guarantees Kashmir’s autonomy within the Indian Union; and its corollary Article 35-A, which debars other Indians from acquiring immovable property, obtaining state government jobs and settling in the state.

Petitions filed by the BJP-backed groups, seeking removal of Articles 370 and 35-A to bring Kashmir on par with other states by stripping it of its special status, are pending in the Supreme Court.

Local politicians see it as a move aimed at changing the demography and Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir. The state government fears widespread violence in the state in case constitutional guarantees to J&K within the Union of India were removed.