SRINAGAR - Thousands of Indians have
started leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after the local
government issued a security alert related to possible militant
attacks in the area, a senior government official said on
Saturday.
Indian security officials on Friday said they had found
evidence of attacks planned by Pakistani military-backed
militants on a major Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir.
The security officials said a mine with Pakistan ordinance
markings was among caches of ammunition retrieved following
intelligence reports of likely attacks on routes used by devout
Hindus who trek to the region's holy Amarnath cave every year.
A local government order effectively called off the
pilgrimage, asking the pilgrims and tourists to return home.
On Saturday, a senior local government official in Kashmir
said the advisory had caused panic and led to the departure of
"thousands" of tourists, pilgrims and labourers.
The official did not give a specific number, but he said
most of the 20,000 Hindu pilgrims and Indian tourists and the
more than 200,000 labourers were leaving the region.
Around 60 international tourists arrived in Kashmir on
Saturday, however, the official said. The Indian advisory had
cautioned tourists in general, but did not give any specific
advice to foreign nationals.
Tensions have run high in the mountainous region since a
vehicle laden with explosives rammed into an Indian police
convoy on Feb. 14, killing 40 paramilitary policemen, and
leading to aerial clashes between the two nations.
India accuses Pakistan of funding armed militants, as well
as separatist groups in India's portion of the region that are
considered non-violent by international observers.
Islamabad denies the Indian accusation, saying it provides
only diplomatic and moral support to the separatist movement.
The advisory has left the fleeing tourists and pilgrims
disappointed. Kashmir touts itself as a "Paradise on Earth",
with Dal Lake - a favourite destination centuries ago for Mughal
emperors escaping the summer heat of India's plains - and its
famous houseboats, mountains and glaciers a major attraction.
Prabakar Iyer, 45, had travelled to Srinagar from the
southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Thursday with his family
for a 10-day holiday, but they returned on Friday night.
"I was staying in a houseboat on Dal Lake when the advisory
was issued. I fail to understand why we are being asked to
leave. Everything is normal here," he said.
Labourer Manjit Singh, a carpenter from the northern state
of Uttar Pradesh who has been working in Kashmir for the last
nine years, also left.
"I am not afraid but the government advisory has created
panic and my family wants me back ... I will return if the
situation improves," he said.