India is planning to deploy 300 additional companies of paramilitary forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the garb of upcoming Amarnath yatra. The approval will be given at a high-level meeting of Indian Ministry of Home Affairs this week, which will also be attended by top brass of police and paramilitary forces. Officials told media that additional 300 paramilitary companies will be deployed on the demand of police in IIOJK “for annual pilgrimage which will start on July 1 and last for 62 days till August 31 this year while 200 companies will be mobilized internally.

“Last year, the maximum number of 300 paramilitary companies were given to Jammu and Kashmir for the annual pilgrimage as the yatra was taking place for first time following abrogation of special status of J&K and its bifurcation”, the officials said. They, however, said that a large number of paramilitary companies have been deployed in violence-hit Indian state of Manipur and there “seems no possibility that they will be withdrawn within next 15-20 days”.

The pilgrimage this year is also going to last a little over two months. Most of additional paramilitary companies comprise Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) while others belong to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) which is deployed on tracks and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Interestingly, as the World Environment Day being observed across the globe, today, the Modi regime ignoring the Day’s message is allowing lacs of Hindus to visit the territory, threatening IIOJK’s fragile environment. New Delhi has turned Amarnath Yatra into a militarized pilgrimage & is showing least concern to save territory’s environment.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP