Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today said the response and reaction shown by the people of the State to the killing of seven Amarnath yatries two days ago shows that the spirit of Kashmiryat is alive and much vibrant today and the people of the State reject such despotic acts despite themselves being victims of violence for decades.The Chief Minister said the vehemence with which every section of society, irrespective of ideology, condemned the killings shows that the ethos for which the State is known is intact and vibrant. She said the efforts of local youth in donating blood to the injured yatries, help in rescue operations by local villagers or the dharna organised by members of civil society comprising students, traders, lawyers, activists, writers and others at Lal Chowk yesterday is an eye opener to those who are hell bent on dividing the people of the State on communal or regional lines.Mehbooba Mufti said Amarnath yatra is an old practice in Kashmir which is predominantly supported, conducted and helped by local Muslim community. She said the beauty of Kashmir’s tolerant character is that the Holy Cave was discovered by a local Muslim and even today Kashmiri Muslims are seen helping and serving yatries all along the route.
The Chief Minister saluted the wisdom of the people of the country who did not fall prey to the conspiracy of the perpetrators of the act to induce communal clashes in the country. She said she was moved by the mature response shown by the families of the slain yatries when she met them immediately after the incident. She said the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat echoed the sentiments of the yatries from their States and thanked people of Kashmir for sharing their pain and early rescue operations.Mehbooba Mufti said what has come out of this tragic incident is that people of the State and rest of the country have started thinking in unison by rejecting such acts and categorisation of the human tragedies.The Chief Minister hoped that reality would dawn on every section of people about the futility of violence and acrimony to resolve the outstanding political issues. Tragedies have taught lessons to humanity and here also it is satisfying to note that people have united against the cult of violence of any sort which provides a silver lining of peaceful resolution of issues and differences, she said in her statement.