SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has asserted that the annual Amarnath Yatra provides a significant opportunity to counteract prevailing hatred and misinformation, urging the people of Kashmir to extend hospitality to pilgrims.
The Chenab Times has learned that Mufti, speaking from Pahalgam, a key staging ground for the pilgrimage, emphasized that each pilgrim visiting Jammu and Kashmir should be treated as a guest and an ambassador who will carry their experiences of the Valley back to other parts of India.
She stated that the way pilgrims are welcomed and hosted can critically influence negative perceptions and foster stronger connections between people across different regions and communities. Mufti highlighted that the pilgrims are emissaries of Kashmir, carrying narratives of the land, its people, and their values nationwide. She stressed the collective responsibility to ensure that visitors depart with impressions of love, warmth, and genuine hospitality.
The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir underscored that the protection of the pilgrimage should transcend mere security concerns, framing it as a shared societal duty incumbent upon all residents of Kashmir. She contended that in an era marked by escalating polarization and mistrust, the Amarnath Yatra offers a valuable platform for promoting mutual understanding, reinforcing human bonds, and upholding Kashmir’s long-standing traditions of coexistence.
Mufti further elaborated that pilgrims returning from the Valley often become firsthand witnesses to Kashmir’s distinct culture, its renowned hospitality, and its inherent social values, rendering every interaction they have profoundly significant. She expressed the belief that prejudice and misinformation directed towards Kashmir and its inhabitants can be most effectively addressed through direct human engagement and sincere outreach, rather than through political discourse alone.
Advocating for increased community involvement, Mufti called for the pilgrimage to be recognized as a process that is locally protected, locally supported, and locally owned, thereby authentically reflecting the true spirit of Kashmir and its populace. The annual Amarnath Yatra draws thousands of devotees from across India and stands as one of the major religious journeys undertaken in the Himalayan region.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
