The Modi regime is ignoring threats that the huge Amarnath Yatra poses to the fragile environment of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to a report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, the Modi government has turned Amarnath Yatra into a militarized pilgrimage as it is not only endangering fragile IIOJK environs but also trying to subdue Kashmiris through huge militarized Yatra. The report said according to experts lacs of Yatris visiting Amarnath cave in south Kashmir are impacting a fragile Himalaya environment, India is adamant to hold big Hindu Yatra despite having proven harmful for IIOJK’s environment. It lamented that the Modi regime was increasingly using grand events like yatras to further its Hindutva agenda in the occupied territory.

The Hindu Yatra is leveraged as a means to promote the Hinduisation of IIOJK, a key component of the broader Hindutva project, it added. The report said Amarnath Yatra is a strategic move intended to marginalize Muslim majority of the occupied territory, adding India must be pressured to drastically limit duration of Yatra and number of pilgrims to save the fragile ecology of occupied Kashmir and protect its unique and vulnerable environment. It said that the unchecked Amarnath Yatra could accelerate environmental degradation in Kashmir, affecting local communities and regional biodiversity, as well as critical water resources.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan