No end to provocations at the fag end of tourist season in Valley

Though Governor Satya Pal Malik very genuinely blames Delhi based TV channels of blowing up minor valley incidents out of proportions to damage the valley’s tourist season but the state administration working under his own command and control is imposing provocative decisions to block all routes of tourist inflow in Kashmir and keep the political chaos on an increasing and intensifying mode. Unfortunately this year’s tourist season started with ban on civilian traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway for movement of troops in May and threat posed by the Pulwama attack in February was cited a reason for taking such a provocative decision. Top mainstream leaders including the likes of Abdullahs’ and Muftis’ hit streets to protest the ban on civilian traffic in valley but the ban continued with gapes of 2-3 days a week for about two months. Finally the ban on civilian traffic was withdrawn but the hassle free movement of civilian traffic barely after less than a month was again stopped and curbs were against imposed on the traffic days before the beginning of the annual amaranth yatra. Though government had all good reasons for deploying additional troops for the peaceful conduct of amaranth yatra but that did not mean government was right in rei-mposing restrictions on Srinagar-Jammu highway. While the successive governments did not impose any restrictions on the civilian traffic on Jammu –Srinagar highway for deployment of troops for peaceful conduct of amaranth yatra even once after 1989 when militancy erupted in the state, the incumbent governor’s administration re-imposed restrictions on civilian traffic on Jammu-Srinagar highway for the movement of troops during amaranth yatra. Amarnath yatra is yet to conclude and restrictions on civilian traffic are yet to be lifted completely the government has created another chaos and confusion by announcing certain extra security measures like deployment of additional troops and advisory for the regulation of the mosque managements and stocking of food stuffs in valley.
People in Kashmir are panicked as the public advisories on stocking of food stuffs from police and railway authorities have gone viral on social media. Though Governor Satya Pal Malik has declared orders related to advisories for mosques and stocking of food stuffs issued by the authorities working under his control as fake but why no action similar to the one taken against a railway official for panicking people with an advisory by a top railway functionary is not initiated against the state government authorities who have issued controversial advisories for mosque managements and stocking of food by people. No one from the state or central government is coming out with a categorical clarification over the rumours about scrapping of article 35 A and article 370 but the top BJP leaders instead of clearing doubts are dropping hints to endorse the rumours as BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav has in his latest statement said that it is the Modi government not the BJP which has to take a decision reiterating therein the stand of the saffron party on article 370 and article 35 A. So a clarification from the central government alone can endorse or refute the rumours about the scrapping of article 35 A or article 370 concerning special status of Jammu & Kashmir state. The provocative decisions continue to pour in even at the fag end of tourist season already destroyed completely this year and such a trend is not good for stabilization of peace and security in Kashmir this time ahead of the proposed assembly elections in the state.