Kashmir Migrants Not Be Shifted Out Of Valley; Amarnath Yatra On Schedule: Officials Amid Targeted Killings

JK officials said that the administration cannot be party to "ethnic-cleansing" across the border and accede to the demand of shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees out of the Valley.

Security Tightened In Srinagar After Civilian Killings

New Delhi: In the wake of targeted killings and a rising demand for shifting of Kashmiri Pandit employees to safer places, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday said that the employees would not be moved out of the Valley, however, they will be transferred to safer locations, news agency PTI reported. The state officials also said that the recent escalation in violence will not lead to any change of schedule of the annual Amarnath Yatra between June 30 and August 11.

The decision comes in the light of a series of terror incidents, including targeted killings of civilians.

Earlier, on Thursday, a bank manager from Rajasthan was shot dead inside the office premises in Kashmir’s Kulgam. This is the eighth targeted killing in the Valley since May 1, as per reports.

On May 12, Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit migrant, employed under a prime minister's package, was shot dead by militants at his office in Chadoora of Budgam in central Kashmir.

His murder sparked protests by around 6,000 employees at various places demanding their relocation outside the Valley.

However, Jammu and Kashmir officials on Friday said that the administration cannot be party to "ethnic-cleansing" across the border and accede to the demand of shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees out of the Valley.

They also added that the killing of soft targets won't stop them from holding the Amarnath Yatra.

The terror outfits are worried by the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and thus, are targeting people to instill fear among the masses and trigger chaos, the offcials said.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is not going to be bogged down by this, the officials added.

They also showed confidence that the security forces would stop these targeted killings like they did in October 2021, when the militants conducted a series of targeted attacks, including on prominent chemist ML Bindroo and a Sikh teacher.

It is to be noted that over two lakh pilgrims have already registered themselves for the annual Amarnath Yatra, the officials said.

They also added that there’s an evil motive behind the targeted killings and warned that these attacks are not to create a division between Hindus and Muslims in the Valley.