news details |
|
|
Hurriyat's invitation to tourists and pilgrims is a ruse | | | It is a bit strange. On one hand the separatists have announced that pilgrims and tourists are welcome in the Kashmir on the other hand they have issued a fresh calendar of protests from December 9 to December 15 against the International Human Rights Day. People have been asked to march to the UNMOG headquarters and raise slogans against atrocities. People'march to the UNMOG headquarters invariably results in violence in the form of clashes between the protesters and the security forces. If the Kashmir valley presents a breezy scene of violence how could one expect tourists and pilgrims to come to the valley? Those who visit the valley want to enjoy, relax in the serene atmosphere.When the atmosphere is not conductive why should tourists spend a lot? Yes, despite high zeal among the pilgrims to the Amarnath holy cave in August there was considerable fall in the arrival of pilgrims because of violence triggered by the killing of a militant commander Burhan Wani. This means the pilgrim season is over and now the hurriyat conference has learnt to invite the pilgrims and tourists. Even the tourist season is gone except that one expects winter tourists who enjoy sledging,and playing with snow with varied plays. This means that separatists who had earned the displeasure of hoteliers, houseboat owners, poywallas, porters and transporters have learnt a lesson. These separatists believe that without the support of this section of people their appeals for shutdowns and hartals couold not evoke full response. Hence these separatists have been clever enough to keep those connected with tourism in good humour. And the Union Government has welcome this step saying that separatists actually wanted to invite tourists and not terrorists. This is not acceptable to the separatists because hitherto they have been following a dual policy. The Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has appreciated the stand of the separatists without knowing that it was simply a ruse to woo people connected with tourism. People, by and large, in the Kashmir valley have grown sick of prolonged spell of violence and shutdowns because they feel that it has simply resulted in a major loss of several thousand crores to traders and industrialists. Well it has been rare case when the militants have not destabilized peace during the Amarnath yatra. And between 1989 and 1994 the tourist season had come to an end with a trickle of tourists visiting Kashmir because that period was peak in Pakistan sponsnored terrorism. Well it is not yet clear if tourists wishing to enjoy snow on the scenic Gulmarg slopes and other hilly resorts fall prey to the bait of separatists or not depends on the events that shape in the immediate future. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
|
BSE
Sensex |
|
NSE
Nifty |
|
|
|
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|