KASHMIR, INDIA, July 9, 2016 (Indian Express): Thousands of Amarnath pilgrims were stranded at Jammu and various other places on Saturday after the state government suspended their movement to Kashmir Valley apprehending trouble as a fall out of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Amidst tight security every morning, pilgrims in a convoy leave Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal for their onward journey to Amarnath shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas. Apart from this, a large number of pilgrims travel directly to Baltal and Pahalgam.
While there had been no convoys leaving for Kashmir Valley from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in the morning, the vehicles carrying pilgrims directly to Valley have been asked to stop at safe places along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Similarly pilgrims returning to base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam after having darshan of the ice-lingam too are being stopped at those places in view of the apprehensions of violence over Burhan’s killing.
A decision over resumption in movement of pilgrims between Jammu and Valley will be taken after assessment of the situation on ground tomorrow, sources added. Over 100,000 pilgrims so far have performed darshan of the ice-lingam at the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas ever since the beginning of yatra on July 2.