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After threat, high security for Gulmarg New Year Eve

The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to provide security cover to a New Year’s Eve musical and comedy show at the ski resort of Gulmarg after a right-wing separatist leader issued a diktat ask

The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to provide security cover to a New Year’s Eve musical and comedy show at the ski resort of Gulmarg after a right-wing separatist leader issued a diktat asking people to stay away from it as it was “an onslaught on the Islamic ideology of the Valley’s people”.

“Gulmarg is a secured destination visited by thousands of domestic and outside tourists throughout the year without facing any nuisance. Yet we have offered security cover to the event in question to make it hassle-free,” said a police officer here on condition of anonymity.

The BJP, which rules the state with coalition partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and like-minded groups, has reacted sharply to a statement issued by the chief of the all-women Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of the Faith), Sayeda Aasiya Andrabi, that the planned New Year celebrations at Gulmarg were part of the RSS’ plan to export “lewd culture” into Kashmir. BJP MLA Ravinder Raina, who also heads the party’s youth wing in the state, while reacting to Ms Andrabi’s statement, said, “I’m now going to Kashmir to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Let me see who dares to stop me.” The PDP is maintaining silence on the issue.

Ms Andrabi had on Saturday castigated a local event group for organising a cultural programme at Gulmarg on December 31. “This program is being sponsored by a few Urdu and English dailies and TV channels. In this programme shameless Bollywood actors have been invited to perform,” she said, adding that the event, being branded as an exemplary show of Kashmiriyat, is actually an attempt to counter the Islamic ideology of Kashmiris. “The real culture of Kashmir is related to Islam and it has no place to celebrate events like New Year’s Eve. These events can be important for any culture but they don’t have any connection with Islam,” she asserted.

The Dukhtaran chief also alleged that such events are being organised in Kashmir under an agenda devised by the RSS “to thrust shameless and lewd culture upon Kashmir”. She added, “This program is not a Parwaaz of Kashmir, as it has been named, but the parwaaz (flight) of a vulture which is always destined towards filth.”

She asked the people of the Valley to stay away from such programmes, asserting, “On one hand our youth are laying down their lives for Islam, and on the other hand these shameless programmes are being held here. We should refrain from playing into the hands of the RSS and their local agents.”

The event management concern “Kashmiriyat” has strongly denied the charge that it is being held at the behest of the RSS. “We’re local Kashmiris, very much part and parcel of this society. We’re not RSS agents,” said Imraan Bhat, who heads “Kashmiriyat”. He added that even the J&K government is not part of the event which, he said, would be a sincere attempt by “Kashmiriyat” to promote the Valley’’ music, rich culture and tourism.

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