No permission for Kausarnag Yatra: Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir government said Friday it has not given any permission for Kausarnag Yatra to Kashmiri Pandits in the first place and therefore the question of withdrawing permission after succumbing to separatist pressure did not arise.

Speaking to reporters here, Tourism Minister G.A. Mir said there was no truth to allegations that the state government had succumbed to separatist pressure by withdrawing permission to Kausarnag Yatra in south Kashmir's Shopian district.

Some migrant Kashmiri Pandit groups have alleged that the state government has withdrawn permission for Kausarnag Yatra after pressure was mounted on it by the separatists.

Some local Pandit groups have announced a pilgrimage to the Himalayan glacial Lake of Kausarnag in Shopian, following which local separatist leaders announced their opposition to the move on the grounds that it would cause widespread disruption of the delicate Himalayan ecology in the region.

Hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani has announced a protest shutdown Saturday against the move to begin the Kausarnag Yatra by some groups of local Pandits.