New Delhi: Condemning the government’s decision to curtail the Amarnath Yatra, the Congress on Saturday said the entire country is worried and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement in Parliament on the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “The Prime Minister should make statements in both Houses of the Parliament on current situation in J&K. It’s his duty. Under the rule of the Prime Ministers of the past, even during the tenure of Manmohan Singh, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Narsimha Rao, the devotees were asked to return home. Never before has such a situation come. This is unprecedented.”

Referring to the recovery of sniper rifles and guns, he said that such a drastic step was not required even if the Army had recovered sniper rifles and guns from the Valley.

“Everybody is clueless. Even if snipers and guns have been recovered from the venue of Amarnath Yatra, such a drastic step was not required,” he said. As the advisories from foreign countries started coming in for their nationals not to visit Kashmir Mr. Azad said, “The home ministry order has scared citizens. Tourists and pilgrims have never been asked to leave abruptly like this...The government is trying to create an atmosphere of hate, saying that Kashmir is unsafe for outsiders. We condemn this decision by the government of India.”

Former union home minister Mr. P Chidambaram also advised the government not to get into any misadventure in the state. He said, “I don’t wish to anticipate what misadventure this government is planning to do in Kashmir. Most of the constitutional issues involving Kashmir are pending in the Supreme Court. It’s clear to me, they are planning a misadventure in Kashmir and I warn them not to.” Speaking at the same conference, senior party leader Dr. Karan Singh said everybody is in a state of shock after the government’s advisory curtailing the Amarnath Yatra and asking the pilgrims and tourists to leave the state.