Pahalgam, Sep 10: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national spokesperson and renowned oncologist, Dr Sameer Kaul Monday called for handing over the management of annual Amarnath Yatra to Kashmiri Pandits.
“Handing over affairs of the Yatra to Kashmiri Pandits would revive the age-old harmony of the community with their Muslim brethren that existed before the Yatra management was taken over by the state,” Dr Kaul said while addressing a PDP public meeting at the tourist resort of Pahalgam. Dr Kaul said religion is a deeply personal matter and it would be better to keep governmental politics away from it.
“As I stand here in this beautiful valley guarded on one side by venerable saint Zainshah Sahab of Aishmuqam and by Baba Amarnath on the other, I need to remind the people of the exemplary harmony that was maintained by a fine balance of sharing and caring between the Kashmiri Muslims and the Kashmiri Pandits,” he said and added that were it not the Malik’s of Batkoote, who used to facilitate with commitment the annual Amarnath Yatra  and were therefore stakeholders in this annual pilgrimage of the aboriginal Kashmiri Pandits.
Dr Kaul expressed surprise over Kashmiri Pandits not even being involved in the matters like lengthening or shortening the duration of the Yatra. “Earlier it was always the Kashmiri Muslims who used to facilitate Pandits for conducting the Amarnath Yatra. But now the government has messed up everything,” he said.
“Is it also not a fact that Muslims of Tulmulla till this day continue to facilitate with flowers and milk the obeisance Kashmiri Pandits pay to mother goddess,” Dr Kaul said.
He said restoring the religious affairs of the Kasmiri Pandits back to the community would also put an end to the unholy business of artificial Sadhus and mendicants confabulating with the vested interests from the land mafia ad bartering away the temple lands and other religious properties.
Castigating the National Conference (NC) for what he called exploiting the sentiments of Kashmiris for power, Dr Kaul said; “Its (NC’s) leaders in order to stay clinched to power have always been trying to give an impression to New Delhi that they are the only Indians in Kashmir”.
Kaul also took a dig at the present dispensation for failing on all fronts and leading the state into misgovernance.
He said PDP’s popularity among masses in Jammu and Kashmir is day by day touching new heights as its brief period of governance is being recalled by the people as a golden era of people-friendly governance.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
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