SRINAGAR: Army on Thursday said that it is ready for the Amarnath Yatra and has taken all necessary steps for it even as the decision to conduct the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine lies with civil administration. Army Chief MM Naravane said in a press conference in Srinagar after concluding his 2-day visit.
On 22 April, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which organises the annual yatra, announced to “temporarily” suspending of the registration of pilgrims for the pilgrimage.
The board had started registration of pilgrims online from April 15 for the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes, which leads to the cave shrine. The 56-day yatra pending any further decision is scheduled to start from June 28.
General MM Naravane said as long as Pakistan continues to take the ceasefire in spirit and stop trying to push militants into India then “these small steps will incrementally build up that level of trust between the two countries”.
“A ceasefire is in place. This is a dynamic process depending on the threat perceptions. If the situation permits, then we do pull out troops from active deployments,” he was quoted as saying by a TV channel. “There have been very few militant activities, pelting of stones. It indicates a sense of normalcy. People also want same and it’s happy thing. After a long time, we have reached to the level where peace prevails. My message to youth is if there is peace, we can have development. Shun this path or violence and embrace the future.”
