-yatra on behalf of the state government. The transfer resulted in three month long agitation that set the entire valley on fire, resulting in the killing of around 70 civilians.
However, the demand from political quarters for regulating the yatra has not died down. Last year, the veteran separatist leader went public in demanding that the yatra should be restricted to 15 days.
“We will continue to welcome the Yatris as we have been in the past. Our religion (Islam) doesn’t teach us to create hurdles in the religious rituals of non-Muslims, but we demand that the duration of Amarnath Yatra be restored to 15 days from two months because the extended duration is having an adverse impact on our environment,” Geelani was quoted as saying.
“Extending the yatra to two months has threatened our ecology and environment. If the yatra to Gangotri can be completed in 15 days, why the Amarnath yatra can’t be completed in the same period?’ he asked.
